NIH Funding of IBS Research

NIH Funding Of IBS Research

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health is the largest single entity providing funding for biomedical research. In 2006 the NIH awarded 53,285 grants totalling $21 billion dollars. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a bowel disorder of unknown etiology characterized by abdominal pain with diarrhea and/or constipation. An estimated 15% of the US population is estimated to exhibit symptoms of IBS, with an annual medical and indirect costs estimated to range from $20 to $30 billion dollars.