SIBO
Medical abbreviation · Gastroenterology
| Stands for | Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
SIBO stands for Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, a gastroenterology abbreviation.
Excess bacteria in the small intestine causing bloating, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort and sometimes vitamin B12 deficiency or weight loss. Risk factors include prior bowel surgery, motility disorders, strictures and diverticula; diagnosis uses glucose or lactulose breath tests, and treatment is usually rifaximin.
Example: Bloating after gastric bypass, lactulose breath test with early hydrogen rise; treat presumed SIBO with rifaximin.
Usage notes
Pronounced "SIB-oh". The gold standard, a jejunal aspirate culture of more than 1,000 colony-forming units per mL, is rarely performed. Breath tests have modest accuracy and are overused in patients with ordinary IBS symptoms. A related entity, intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO), is diagnosed when breath methane is high and tends to cause constipation.
Related abbreviations
More gastroenterology abbreviations
- PUD – Peptic ulcer disease
- RYGB – Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
- SBFT – Small bowel follow-through
- SBO – Small bowel obstruction
- SBP – Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
- SBS – Short bowel syndrome
- TIPS – Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt
- tTG – Tissue transglutaminase (antibody test)
- UC – Ulcerative colitis
- UGI – Upper gastrointestinal series
- UGIB – Upper gastrointestinal bleeding
- VCE – Video capsule endoscopy
See all 85 gastroenterology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.