Irritable bowel syndrome: management, professional-patient relationship and treatment adherence

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder of the gut-brain axis that affects between 4.7%, and 8.3% of Brazilians, impacting the quality of life, and productive capacity. The care associated with this condition has a high cost for the individual, the health system, and society. This narrative review aims to identify the epidemiology, management, adherence to treatment, and the professional-patient relationship in the syndrome context. Articles were searched in the EBSCOhost, SciELO, and Google Scholar databases with combinations of the following terms in English and Portuguese “irritable bowel syndrome”, “treatment adherence”, “prevalence”, “burden”, “chronic illness”, “management”, and “doctor-patient relationship”. Some referenced articles have been added. Positive diagnostic process, based on clinical criteria, is recommended. Treatment is complex, and individualized, and adherence constitutes a research challenge. The professional-patient relationship is fundamental for long-term care of the condition and requires training of social skills. Exams may be used by professionals as a proxy for professional-patient relationship. Ineffective treatment can negatively impact relationship and adherence. A good relationship can help to create a more realistic, effective, and individualized treatment.