Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth: The Signs and Symptoms of SIBO

The bacteria in your digestive tract plays an important role in the health and functionality of your system. These bacteria influence everything from digestion to your immune system and beyond. Because there is such a vast array of varying bacteria, literally trillions in your gut, it creates a microbiome. When this environment becomes unbalanced, it creates many different digestive issues and symptoms. An example of this is SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. SIBO is a disorder in the small intestine. Compared to the large intestine, there is a relatively smaller amount of microbiota in this part of your digestive system. When there is an abnormal increase in the amount of bacteria present in the small intestine, it can create many problems and prevent proper digestion. This condition can be challenging to diagnose. Here are the symptoms, causes, and treatments for SIBO.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth presents itself similarly to several other gastrointestinal conditions. Due to the presence of excess bacteria in the small intestine, nutrients can be properly absorbed during digestion. This noticeable lack of absorption is usually a direct result of additional bacteria. Here are the common symptoms of SIBO:

SIBO is commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed, which makes determining a direct cause challenging. However, a lack of motility or movement of food through the small intestine seems to be the basic genesis of this condition. The more slowly food travels through your system, the greater the chance of bacteria overgrowing becomes. 

Because SIBO is technically a bacterial infection, the initial treatment choice from your

is a round of antibiotics. Because there is typically an underlying condition creating the excess bacteria that needs to be treated as well. This strategy for treatment will vary depending on what your condition is, and will be determined by your gastroenterologist.