The Relationship Between Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Gastrointestinal Dysbiosis: A Systematic Integrative Review of Diagnostic and Treatment Approaches.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder with no clear etiology. The current diagnostic and treatment standards for IBS are suboptimal; pharmacologic therapies with systemic adverse effects are used for symptom management after a lengthy exclusionary diagnostic process. Gastrointestinal dysbiosis is a current theory being studied regarding the pathology of IBS. The purpose of this review is to analyze the current literature on the presence of gastrointestinal dysbiosis in adult patients with IBS and the efficacy of probiotic treatment. An integrative review of the literature was conducted using one comprehensive electronic database search. After a systematic screening process, 16 studies were included for data extraction, appraisal, and synthesis. Evidence revealed that over 17 different bacterial genera, families, and species were discovered in abnormal abundances in patients with IBS compared to healthy controls. Five of the six articles studying probiotics provided evidence supporting the efficacy of probiotic therapy in decreasing symptoms and increasing quality of life in IBS patients. The findings of this review support an integrative IBS diagnostic and treatment strategy rooted in identifying gastrointestinal dysbiosis and utilizing nonpharmacologic probiotic treatment options. Future research should further investigate the potential use for probiotic therapy targeted to patient-specific gastrointestinal microbial abnormalities as an effective treatment for IBS.Bachelor of Scienc