Review: Functional dyspepsia

Abstract

Dyspepsia is a common term used for a heterogeneous group of abdominal symptoms. Functional dyspepsia (FD) is the focus of this review. The 2006 Rome III criteria defined FD and its subgroups, postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) and epigastric pain syndrome (EPS). FD is a very common condition with a high prevalence throughout the world, adversely affecting the quality of life of patients. The pathophysiology of FD has been under investigation during the past two decades. Multiple mechanisms such as abnormal gastric emptying, visceral hypersensitivity, impaired gastric accommodation, and central nervous system factors are likely involved. Several tests are available for the assessment of various physiologic functions possibly involved in the pathogenesis of FD, and some of these could be used in clinical practice, helping to understand the abnormalities underlining patients' complaints. Currently, the possibilities of pharmacological therapy for FD are still limited, however, experience of using prokinetics, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), and several alternative techniques has been accumulated. The different combinations of alterations in physiologic gastrointestinal and central nervous system functions result in the very heterogeneous nature of FD so combined approaches to these patients could be beneficial in challenging cases.

Dyspeptic symptoms in patients with type 1 diabetes: endoscopic findings, Helicobacter pylori infection, and associations with metabolic control, mood disorders and nutritional factors

“…One of the mechanisms proposed to explain this association in functional dyspepsia is visceral hypersensitivity, that is, an increased perception of gastrointestinal sensations (27,28). It was demonstrated that anxiety and depression may influence the central processing of visceral stimuli, increasing the perception of gastrointestinal sensations (29).…”

Evaluation of small intestine bacterial overgrowth in patients with functional dyspepsia through H2 breath test

“…It is the most common reason for medical consultations, both for general and specialists, and it may affect up to 25% of popu lation (7) . Its most severe forms have great impact on patients quality of life (3,24) .…”

Factores psicosociales y hábitos asociados con dispepsia funcional en internos de un hospital nacional en Piura, Perú

“…Una revisión en Chile mostró que el 80% de los internos consumía alcohol y que el 6,4% de los estudiantes de medicina mostró dependencia alcohólica. Estos datos son alarmantes debido a que su excesivo consumo incrementa el riesgo de aparición de muchos problemas de salud, Si esto no es controlado, puede mantenerse y afectar seriamente a esta población cuando llegue a ser profesional (3).…”

“…Es uno de los trastornos gastrointestinales más comunes en la población (1)(2)(3), ya que, a nivel mundial, la dispepsia puede llegar a constituir hasta el 40% de las patologías gastrointestinales, pero solo la décima parte de este grupo de pacientes buscan atención médica (4,5), lo que dificulta aún más su diagnóstico por el hecho de que no existe un órgano específico que sea afectado (6,7). Generalmente es detectada por la presencia de los grupos más frecuentes de molestias: el síndrome de dolor en el epigastrio y el síndrome de distrés posprandial (8).…”