Functional dyspepsia (FD) is defined by the Rome Consensus Conferences and classified as “functional gastroduodenal disorders.”
Dysfunctional dyspepsia exists when at least one of the following symptoms is present:
- Early feeling of satiety, so that normal-sized portions cannot be eaten.
- Unpleasant feeling of fullness postprandial (after eating).
- Epigastric pain (epigastric means “referring to the upper abdomen (epigastrium)”).
- Epigastric burning
AND no evidence of structural changes (including esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) findings) that can explain these findings with sufficient probability.
The symptom(s) must have been present for at least three months and must have occurred at least six months prior to diagnosis.
The Rome IV criteria further classify patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) into for diagnostic and therapeutic reasons:
- EPS (epigastric pain syndrome; Epigastric Pain Syndrome) – group with food-independent leading epigastric pain or epigastric burning, or.
- PDS (Postprandial Stress Syndrome; Postprandial Distress Syndrome) – group with eating-dependent leading postprandial fullness, nausea, and early feeling of fullness.
According to the Rome criteria also distinguish:
- Ulcer-like (“ulcer-like”) dyspepsia.
- Dysmotility-related dyspepsia (decreased or accelerated movement of the stomach).
See also under “Symptoms – complaints” under “Characterization of dyspepsia based on symptoms”.
Tack J. et al. propose another subclassification, which is reflected in the Rome IV criteria:
Postprandial distress syndrome:
- Unpleasant feeling of fullness after eating
- Early satiety, due to which a normal meal can not be finished
- Feeling of bloating in the upper abdomen.
Epigastric pain syndrome:
- Pain or burning in the epigastrium
- Pain occurs intermittently
- Pain does not occur generalized or in other regions of upper abdomen or chest
- No relief from bowel movements or flatulence (Latin flatus “wind”)