ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Patients who complain of upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms often face a diagnosis of either gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or functional dyspepsia. Because the two conditions often overlap, it can be difficult to distinguish between them and diagnose them properly. Yet ambulatory care facilities and hospitals have reported a dramatic increase in the number of GERD-related visits/discharges in recent years.
This led a team of researchers at Mayo Clinic, others from the United States, Europe and Australia to question if "observer bias" plays a role in the diagnosis of GERD, compared to a diagnosis of functional dyspepsia. As reported today during the American College of Gastroenterology 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course, such a bias exists and increases the likelihood of a diagnosis of GERD. This theory is supported by the following findings from the study:
"These findings serve as a reminder to all physicians to keep an open mind when patients complain of upper GI pain," says senior author G. Richard Locke, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist. "It is worth considering every possible cause of the symptoms, including the sometimes challenging-to-treat functional dyspepsia. Plus, if we believe the patient's symptoms are caused by GERD, we must confirm that diagnosis."
The study also found that:
About GERD, Functional Dyspepsia
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is a condition in which stomach contents leak backward from the stomach into the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. This can irritate the esophagus, causing heartburn and other symptoms. Functional dyspepsia is a common, but poorly understood, upper GI condition that is described as nonulcer stomach pain. Functional dyspepsia causes chronic abdominal pain/indigestion and a sensation of fullness, pressure or discomfort in the upper abdomen.
About Mayo Clinic
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