Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
#### The bottom line Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder with an estimated prevalence of 10-20%.1 The condition mostly affects people aged 20-30 years and is twice as common in women as in men.1 It can be painful and debilitating, lead to feelings of anxiety and depression, and negatively affect quality of life.1 This article summarises the most recent recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on irritable bowel syndrome in adults in primary care.2 NICE recommendations are based on systematic reviews of best available evidence and explicit consideration of cost effectiveness. Where the evidence was minimal, recommendations in the original guidance were based on the guideline development group’s experience and opinion of what constitutes good practice. Changes in this update are based on evidence from updated systematic reviews and updated evidence on cost effectiveness. Evidence levels for the recommendations are given in italic in square brackets. ### Initial assessment
Hookway et al. (Wed,) studied this question.