부산대학교 도서관

A high prevalence of overlap between functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome has been consistently and universally reported. The prevalence of overlap is greater in patient series than community series. This together with some direct evidence suggest that patients with FD-IBS are more affected by their symptoms and are more likely to be referred for specialist attention. It is possible that some IBS patients with pain referred to the upper abdomen may be mislabelled as FD, and that this could pose a risk factor for unnecessary cholecystectomy. The FD-IBS overlap entity could also be attributed to the presence of a generalised rather than regional disorder of the gut. For example constipated IBS patients may exhibit both delayed gastric emptying and slow intestinal transit, while visceral hypersensitivity involving more than one region has also been demonstrated in FD and IBS subjects. IBS and FD could also arise from a common infectious trigger such as salmonella. Studies of symptom turnover report substantial flux between FD and IBS. Recent studies appear to suggest a declining incidence of FD, and this coupled with the recent recognition even by the Rome committee that there are very few patients with pure FD, raises questions regarding its relevance for the future.