©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 7, 2015; 21(25): 7621-7636
Published online Jul 7, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i25.7621
Published online Jul 7, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i25.7621
Recent developments in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome
Magdy El-Salhy, Section for Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Stord Hospital, 5409 Stord, Norway
Magdy El-Salhy, Section of Neuroendocrine Gastroenterology, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, 5000 Bergen, Norway
Magdy El-Salhy, National Centre for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, 5000 Bergen, Norway
Author contributions: El-Salhy M solely contributed to this paper.
Supported by Grants from Helse-Vest and Helse-Fonna, Norway.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declare no conflict of interest.
Correspondence to: Magdy El-Salhy, Professor, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Section for Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Stord Hospital, Box 4000, 5409 Stord, Norway. magdy.el-salhy@helse-fonna.no
Telephone: +47-5-3491000 Fax: +47-5-3491000
Received: February 22, 2015
Peer-review started: February 28, 2015
First decision: March 26, 2015
Revised: March 31, 2015
Accepted: May 21, 2015
Article in press: May 21, 2015
Published online: July 7, 2015
Processing time: 137 Days and 6.7 Hours
Peer-review started: February 28, 2015
First decision: March 26, 2015
Revised: March 31, 2015
Accepted: May 21, 2015
Article in press: May 21, 2015
Published online: July 7, 2015
Processing time: 137 Days and 6.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: There are several factors that play a major role in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These factors are genetic disposition, diet, the intestinal microbiota, and mucosal low-grade inflammation. These factors are known to affect the gastrointestinal endocrine cells, with the densities of intestinal endocrine cells being reduced in IBS patients. The reduction in the gastrointestinal endocrine cells seems to be caused by abnormal clonogenic and differentiation activities of the intestinal stem cells. The abnormalities in the gastrointestinal endocrine cells can explain the visceral hypersensitivity, disturbed gastrointestinal motility, and abnormal gut secretion observed in IBS patients.