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Go with your gut: targeting the microbiome for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome

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Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects up to 10% of people worldwide and reduces quality of life. The underlying cause of IBS can vary, so finding an effective treatment may require trialling different options. Altering the gut microbiome is an effective approach to treating IBS in a subset of patients. Probiotics can alleviate the symptoms of IBS; however, it is currently uncertain which bacterial species or strains are the most effective. There is reasonable evidence to support the use of the antibiotic rifaximin for IBS with diarrhoea in latter lines of therapy, while further evaluation is required for faecal microbiota implantation.

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    Simon Fung

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  1. Simon Fung
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Correspondence to Simon Fung.

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S. Fung is a salaried employee of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature and declares no relevant conflicts of interest. All authors contributed to this article and are responsible for its content.

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Fung, S. Go with your gut: targeting the microbiome for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Drugs Ther Perspect 39, 373–377 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-023-01027-8

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