Fibromyalgia - Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

With all of the changes that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and "leaky gut syndrome" (LGS) present, there is another complicating factor that enters the picture. In a recent study published in "The American Journal of Gastroenterology", it was found that 78% of the study group who had been diagnosed with IBS had something called intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

So what does this mean? The small intestine normally doesn't have colonies of harmful bacteria present because in a normal GI tract, the acidity present and motility (the ability of the intestines to propel foodstuffs forward) prevents this from occurring. This SIBO can cause symptoms which both mimic and can exacerbate the abdominal discomfort found in many people with fibromyalgia. (There is a breath test that can be useful in determining whether SIBO is present.)