Dyspepsia

Overview

Dyspepsia is very common and most people experience symptoms occasionally. To be considered "functional dyspepsia," the symptoms must be chronic (ongoing) and not caused by another disorder.

Patients evaluated and treated at Mayo Clinic for functional dyspepsia benefit from the knowledge and experience of top gastrointestinal disorder specialists who have conducted extensive research to understand the condition and find new diagnostic and treatment options. Mayo patients may be eligible to participate in clinical trials to test new medications.

Diagnosis

Doctors diagnose functional dyspepsia only after eliminating other possible causes of symptoms, such as a peptic ulcer, diabetes or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Mayo offers many tests to evaluate the digestive system. Some of the more advanced tests were developed at Mayo Clinic and are not available at many other centers. Read more about dyspepsia diagnosis.

Treatment

Because the causes of functional dyspepsia are not understood, treatment can be challenging. Treatment depends on each patient's symptoms, but usually involves some form of lifestyle changes or behavioral therapy, and possibly medication. Read more about dyspepsia treatment options.

• Treatment in Arizona
• Treatment in Florida
• Treatment in Minnesota

About Functional Dyspepsia

Functional dyspepsia refers to upper abdominal pain or discomfort not caused by any organic, systemic or metabolic disease. Because symptoms of functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) overlap, and because patients with functional dyspepsia often also have IBS, Mayo physicians believe the two condtions may sometimes be different manifestations of the same disorder.

Doctors are still working to pinpoint the underlying causes of functional dyspepsia. Some traditional theories include:

• Acid secretion
• Delayed stomach emptying
• Stiff stomach that doesn't expand easily to accommodate food
• Hypersensitivity to stomach acid or expansion

Some newer theories include:

• Accelerated stomach emptying
• Abnormal responses to food by the duodenum
• Poor coordination between the upper and lower parts of the stomach
• Abnormal stomach contractions
• Acute or chronic infections
• Altered neurohormonal responses to meals
• Abnormal processing of internal organ activity by the brain and nerves

Read more at www.MayoClinic.com (A service of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research).