Dawn Egans stomach has been a pain point for her since grade school.
Researchers agree that SIBO constitutes an excess of bacteria in your small intestine, Dr. Quigley says.
While scientists have identified that certain bugs (likeE.
Svetlana Shamshurina/Getty Images
So its no wonder the prevalence of SIBO remains a big question mark.
Various factors can set the scene for bacteria to swarm your small intestine.
Someresearchshows that bacterial infections linked with food poisoning (spurred by bugs likeSalmonellaorCampylobacter) could injure those nerves too.
That can happen if you naturally secrete too little acid (a.k.a.
Figuring out if you have SIBO and whether its causing your GI issues is trickyand subjective.
For folks like Egan whove been dismissed for years, getting a new diagnosis can feel validating.
Its relatively inaccessible compared to collecting fecal or saliva samples, Dr. Quigley says.
But a few things can make breath tests imprecise.
Interpreting the results can also be complicated.
(A threshold for excess hydrogen sulfide isnt yet agreed upon.)
(And its unclear whether more gas directly equates to worse symptoms.)
Ive found that every doctors version of whats okay and whats not is vastly different, Egan says.
An antibiotic to knock out the overgrowth should do the trick, right?
The first challenge is determining which bacteria youre dealing with.
Indeed, recentresearchsuggests rifaximin is generally effective for treating SIBO.
But that doesnt mean taking it is always a breeze.
Because she couldnt finish the two-week course, she wasnt able to test its efficacy.
Indeed, 45% of people who take an antibiotic course for SIBO experience a recurrence of their symptoms.
If they find a physical obstruction or blockage, they may be able to remove it.
Hence why folks with SIBO can wind up yo-yoing between diets, as Egan has.
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