[Red, yellow, green: management of gastrointestinal complaints]

In a patient presenting with acute abdominal pain, initiation of symptomatic treatment must be preceded by the reliable exclusion of a potentially serious situation (acute abdomen = red light). Rapidly progressive or severe abdominal pain mandates an urgent diagnostic investigation on the part of the physician. No less important is the positive diagnosis of psychosomatic disorders (yellow light). If the family doctor fails to properly counsel the patient, too much diagnostic effort can lead to an iatrogenic somatic fixation. In the absence of all the above, the light shows green for causal therapy, an open mind on the diagnosis, symptomatic treatment and follow-up.