Pharmacogenetics in irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disease characterized by complex interactions between genetic predisposition and the environment. Current treatments for IBS are characterized by a highly variable response. Gene variations may result from insertions or deletions, gene rearrangements, splice variants or copy number variants, or, more commonly, from substitutions in the DNA of one (single nucleotide polymorphism [SNPs]) or more than one nucleotide. The objective of this editorial is to review the potential importance of pharmacogenetics in the treatment of IBS based on current evidence.