A common bowel condition suffered by millions of Brits may not actually exist, research suggests.

Experts warn that more than 13 million Brits with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be having the cause of their problem ignored.

Symptoms include bowel problems such as gas, bloating and diarrhoea which blight the lives of sufferers who feel unable to socialise.

A review of 220 pieces of research concluded it may not be a single condition and symptoms are instead triggered by a range of causes, including poor sleep to stress, lack of exercise or an imbalance in gut bacteria.

Researchers said GPs should stop diagnosing patients with IBS and instead work out what it is in their life is causing the symptoms and treat it.

Lead author Ben Brown, of the British College of Nutrition and Health, said: “IBS is the most common gastrointestinal problem in the world and it can be very serious. But it is an umbrella diagnosis based on symptoms.

“People are being misdiagnosed by giving them a label that’s not really helping them because it’s not addressing the problem.”

A spokeswoman for Crohn’s and Colitis UK said: “Similar symptoms like diarrhoea and the regular and urgent need to use the toilet can lead to misdiagnosis.”