Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia

Because there is currently no universally effective treatment for functional dyspepsia, a stepwise approach is useful. The initial steps should include 1) making a firm clinical diagnosis and providing the patient with appropriate information and reassurance; 2) ascertaining the reason for referral/consultation, as this determines what the patient will regard as a satisfactory outcome; 3) informing the patient that there is no universally effective drug treatment; and 4) giving dietary and general lifestyle advice, such as ingestion of smaller, more frequent meals, a low-fat diet, avoidance of certain foods that may exacerbate symptoms, limiting coffee and alcohol intake, smoking cessation, and stress management techniques. If the initial approach does not provide a satisfactory outcome, the following approaches may be helpful. Psychologic treatment approaches, such as hypnotherapy and/or antidepressants, have shown very encouraging results in recent studies and deserve active consideration. In patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia, the "test and treat" strategy for Helicobacter pylori is a cost-effective approach. Prokinetics are of possible benefit in subjects with delayed gastric emptying; however, the relationship between improvement of gastric emptying and symptom alleviation is weak. Furthermore, it needs to be recognized that treatments directed at acid suppression are generally of little sustained benefit, and that there is ongoing controversy as to whether H. pylori eradication is of direct benefit.