IBS wrecks lives but there's - now hope of breakthrough

Over the counter remedy can help to manage symptoms

- EMMA JOHNSON

For many with Irritable Bowel Syndrome there are days when the prospect of socialising, eating out, going to work, or even just leaving the house is tinged with dread.

Symptoms such as bloating, stomach pain, constipation and diarrhoea can be embarrassing and make life miserable — but a new breakthrough remedy offers relief for millions of sufferers.

IBS is a common gastrointestinal disorder that affects one in five adults - around 13 million people in the UK, according to the NHS.

Most sufferers live in fear of eating something that can trigger symptoms which may include stomach cramps, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation.

Symptoms can come and go and may last for days, weeks or even months. And many patients are too embarrassed to speak up about it.