Researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills, California have found that 78% of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients have an overgrowth of bacterial in the small intestine. The results of this study are published in the December issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

     The study involved 202 patients. All the patients took a breath test to determine if they had bacteria in the small intestine. The small intestine does not normally contain bacteria. The large intestine, or colon, has several varieties of bacteria.

     Occasionally, bacteria from the large intestine can make it's way into the small intestine. No one is sure why this happens. This bacteria causes a condition known as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

     Patients in the study who exhibited signs of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth were treated with a course of antibiotics for 10 days. Among the 47 patients who completed follow-up care, 27 were free of symptoms.

     25 patients with IBS who showed no signs of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth were also given antibiotics. 13 reported a lessening of symptoms, and 12 reported no IBS symptoms.

     "This is really exciting because it points to the cause of the disease," said Dr. Mark Pimente assistant director of the gastrointestinal motility program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. "Treatments for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to this point have been directed at symptoms, not any cause."

     A double-blind study to compare the effect of antibiotics on IBS is underway at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

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