In functional dyspepsia (FD) – colloquially called irritable stomach – (synonyms: Gastrointestinal Irritation; Dyspeptic Complaints; Nonulcer Dyspepsia (NUD); ICD-10-GM K30: Functional Dyspepsia) is a functional disorder in the area of the stomach that is not based on a pathologic (pathological) change.
Functional dyspepsia belongs to the group of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). Functional dyspepsia is said to exist if the symptoms have been present for at least three months and occurred at least six months before diagnosis.
Functional dyspepsia is defined by the Rome Consensus Conferences and classified as “functional gastroduodenal disorders.” See Classification.
This diagnosis is a diagnosis of exclusion, i.e., the diagnosis may only be made when no causative structural or laboratory abnormalities are detectable by routine diagnostics including endoscopy.
Sex ratio: Women are more frequently affected than men.
Frequency peak: The disease occurs predominantly with increasing age.
The prevalence (disease incidence) is 5-20 % (in countries with a western lifestyle). 5% of Germans suffer from upper abdominal discomfort and again 50% of those suffer from irritable stomach.
Course and prognosis: The prognosis of irritable stomach syndrome is good. The risk of developing an inflammatory or malignant (malignant) disease of the stomach is not increased. Nevertheless, irritable stomach syndrome is accompanied by pain, sometimes severe, and limits the quality of life of those affected.
Comorbidities (accompanying diseases): patients with functional dyspepsia are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and somatoform disorders (mental illness leading to physical symptoms without physical findings) compared with patients without gastrointestinal symptoms.
