IBS Symptoms and Elevated WBC
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can be characterized by constipation, diarrhea or both. In examining such symptoms, doctors conduct lab tests that include full blood counts. If an elevated white blood count (WBC) is found in either a blood test or stool sample, the indication is a non-IBS infection or inflammation in the body. Though it is not IBS-related, the elevated WBC could be an indication of a more serious medical condition.
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History
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Scientists grouped together in 1988 to define some criteria by which to diagnose IBS more accurately. The guidelines that developed by this group of physicians became known as the Rome Criteria.
Significance
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An elevated white blood count is not a symptom of IBS. It is a symptom of other infections or illnesses that feature symptoms similar to IBS.
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Facts
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IBS is a functional disease that can only be diagnosed by exclusion: when all other possible diseases, infections or inflammations have been ruled out.
Function
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The symptoms identified by the Rome Criteria, as well as other lab tests like a blood test, serve to rule out other intestinal illnesses on the way to an IBS diagnosis.
Identification
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When conducted as part of the IBS diagnosis, lab tests (blood tests, stool tests) indicate the prevalence of bleeding, inflamed or infected intestines. These conditions are not indicative of IBS, but rather the more severe intestinal diseases that often mimic the symptoms of IBS.
Implications
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A complete blood test that results in a high white blood count can be indicative of intestinal maladies like diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease, Ulcerative Colitis) or even cancer.
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