IBS and Sibo have overlapping symptoms – here’s what you need to know about these different digestive conditions

Low-temperature electron micrograph of a cluster of E. coli bacteria, magnified 10,000 times. Each individual bacterium is oblong shaped. Photo byfkfkrErbe, digital colorization by Christopher Pooley, both of USDA, ARS, EMU., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Digestive disorders can affect us all from time to time. Symptoms such as bloating and pain, often accompanied with some change in bowel habits, can be a feature of dietary changes, infection and stress. However, when these symptoms last a long time and no clear cause is found, they can be hard to diagnose and treat.

Debilitating symptoms, such as fatigue, brain fog, nausea, bloating, gas and flatulence and diarrhoea, can be embarrassing and a struggle to manage. And access to clinical assessment and treatment may not be swift. Googling will probably land you at irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and self-treating may not address the root cause of the symptoms and could even exacerbate the underlying condition.