[Functional gastrointestinal disorders]

Functional gastrointestinal disorders particularly dyspepsia an irritable bowel syndrome are frequent problems for the general practitioner and also for the specialist. Both are diseases and not only a kind of discomfort. The high frequency of dispepsia and irritable bowel syndrome induces very high direct and indirect charges. Both diseases depend on a number of factors or causes, for whom the evidence is not good. But there are good experimental data for the visceral hypersensitivity as one of the main factors. Gastroscopy is the most important examination in the diagnosis of dyspepsia. Endoscopy has to be done in all patients with alarm symptoms an in all patients older than 45 years. The therapy of dyspepsia is an empirical one. The eradication of Helicobacter pylori is a therapeutical option, but only 8% of the patients will have benefit for a long time. Other therapeutical options are the use of proton-pump inhibitors, prokinetics or phytotherapeutics. The therapy of the irritable bowel syndrome depends on the subtype of the disease (diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, bloating). First of all a good doctor-patient relationship is mandatory. Furthermore the use of dietary fibre, antidiarrhoeics, laxatives and muscle relaxants may be beneficial. And phytotherapeutics can be an additional therapeutic approach.