The authors present a good review of established wisdom concerning IBS. However, I know of one patient who was diagnosed with IBS where the pain occurred at the time of her menstrual periods. She satisfied both criteria cited in the review and even had pain with balloon inflation on colonoscopy.

However, her diagnosis was later established as endometriosis. I understand she has now been pain free for many years with hormone treatment - something that would not have occurred had she kept her diagnosis of IBS. The authors do not mention mimics in their review, but are they aware of endometriosis as a possible mimic of IBS?

Competing interests: None declared