The medical term "dyspepsia" is commonly understood as a large number of different external symptoms associated with problems of the gastrointestinal tract, which are caused by a violation of the processes of digestion of food. Hence the name, because dyspepsia in Greek means "digestion problems."
A separate type of the whole complex of disorders is functional dyspepsia. Its signs: dull or burning pain in the abdominal cavity (the so-called epigastric triangle). In addition to discomfort, the patient experiences a feeling of heaviness and fullness in the abdomen. Bloating, nausea, heartburn, and belching may also occur. At the same time, during the diagnostic process, it is not possible to detect any organic pathologies (there is no morphological or biochemical cause).
This is what distinguishes functional dyspepsia, the treatment of which has some peculiarities.
Let's consider these issues in more detail.
Disease statistics
Digestion problems are one of the most common disorders that occur in the gastrointestinalintestinal tract. During various statistical activities, it was found that out of the total number of patients seeking help from a gastroenterologist, the number of people diagnosed with functional gastric dyspepsia is about 70%. In European countries, the number of people affected by the described disease reaches 40%, and in African countries - more than 60%.
Despite the fact that functional dyspepsia, the symptoms of which are very unpleasant, causes significant discomfort to a person, only a quarter of the victims turn to a medical specialist for help. At the same time, in the overwhelming majority of cases, it is the functional, and not the organic form of the disease that is diagnosed.
In women, this condition occurs about one and a half times more often.
The main age of patients with this problem is from 20 to 45 years. In the elderly, this dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract is much less common. Instead, there are more serious diseases of the digestive system, which, nevertheless, have similar symptoms.
Types of violations
Functional gastric dyspepsia, as you already understood, is not the only type of pathology. There is also an organic variety. Let us dwell in more detail on the distinguishing features of each of them.
- Organic. This disorder occurs as a result of ulcers, various diseases of the pancreas, gallbladder, and other organic pathologies.
- Functional. It appears when there is a malfunction in the muscular layer of the stomach and duodenum (not caused by diseases), which lasts for 3 months during the year. At the same time, the connection of emerging pain with dysfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract should not be diagnosed.
Classification of non-biological pathology
According to the clinical picture of the course of the disorder, functional dyspepsia of the stomach can be divided into three subspecies:
- Ulcer-like - characterized by pain in the epigastric region.
- Dyskinetic - the patient feels discomfort in the abdomen, which is not accompanied by acute pain.
- Non-specific - the clinical picture of this disorder has many symptoms (there is nausea, heartburn, belching).
Provoking factors
Unlike the biological form, which is not the purpose of this material, functional dyspepsia in children and adults is caused by the following reasons.
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Problems with the perist altic function of the muscle fibers of the stomach and duodenum. These include:
- lack of relaxation of some parts of the stomach after food enters it (the so-called accommodation);
- violation of the cycle of muscle contractions of this organ;
- problems with the motor function of the anal department of the large intestine;
- failures of antroduodenal coordination.
- Increased tendency of stomach walls to stretch while eating.
- Unhe althy diet, drinking too much tea, coffee,alcoholic beverages.
- Smoking.
- Treatment with various medications (NSAIDs).
- Psychological stress.
Some medical professionals claim that functional dyspepsia syndrome is associated with the release of large amounts of hydrochloric acid in the gastrointestinal tract, but at present there is no reliable evidence for this theory.
Forms of pathology
Let's consider the external signs and internal sensations of the patient, characteristic of the described violation.
Ulcer-like functional dyspepsia is primarily characterized by acute and prolonged pain that appears in the epigastric region. They take on a pronounced character at night or when a person experiences a feeling of hunger. You can eliminate discomfort with the help of appropriate medications - antacids. Pain becomes more intense if the patient experiences psycho-emotional stress, he may have fears of the presence of some terrible pathology.
The dyskinetic form of the disorder (non-ulcer functional dyspepsia) is accompanied by symptoms such as early satiety, a feeling of fullness in the gastrointestinal tract, abdominal distension and nausea.
As for nonspecific dyspepsia, here it is difficult to classify a person's complaints according to one or another feature. This type of pathology may be accompanied by signs specific to some otherdiseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract. This picture makes it difficult to diagnose a condition such as functional dyspepsia of the stomach. Treatment is symptomatic.
Diagnosis
The first task facing a medical specialist is to distinguish between biological and functional dyspepsia. As a rule, the latter occurs when its symptoms appear in a patient without any external visible causes.
In order to speak with confidence about the course of a functional disorder in a patient, it is necessary to establish the presence of three main criteria:
-
functional dyspepsia of the stomach There is a constant (recurrent) dyspepsia - this is evidenced by pain in the epigastric region, which lasts a total of 3 months during the year.
- No traces of an organic disorder detected - ultrasound, endoscopy or other clinical and biochemical procedures help to establish this.
- Observed symptoms do not disappear after using the toilet, the frequency of bowel movements and the consistency of feces do not change - this allows you to distinguish between dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome.
Research Methods
Among other things, it is important to exclude other diseases with symptoms similar to those that accompany functional gastric dyspepsia. The treatment of such pathologies can be radically different.
To this end, the following activities are being carried out.
- Collecting an anamnesis. AtDuring the initial interview, the medical specialist should establish whether the patient suffers from disorders accompanied by signs of dyspepsia. It is necessary to establish the nature of the flow and find out the sensations of a person (whether there is distension of the abdomen, belching, heartburn or pain). It is important to find out what the person has eaten in recent days, and whether he has undergone any treatment.
- Inspection. During it, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of violations of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, as well as pathologies of the respiratory tract.
- Surveying tests. Usually needed:
- general fecal analysis;
- studying feces for traces of blood;
- blood tests;
- determining the presence of certain types of infections.
4. Research using various medical instruments:
- esophagogastroduodenoscopy (more common name is gastroscopy);
- examination of the stomach with an x-ray machine;
- ultrasound examination of organs located in the abdominal cavity;
- other necessary procedures.
Survey plan
In order for functional dyspepsia in children and adults to be diagnosed with maximum accuracy, the doctor must follow a certain sequence of actions.
You need to start the examination with a routine blood test, as well as establishing its traces in the feces. This will reveal hidden bleeding in the gastrointestin altract.
If there are deviations in this or that laboratory research, it is necessary to confirm or refute the possible diagnosis with the help of instrumental means (for example, endoscopy). If patients over the age of 50 have dangerous signs (vomiting blood, scarlet stools, fever, anemia, severe weight loss), urgent gastroscopy is mandatory.
Otherwise (when dangerous symptoms are not observed), it is recommended to prescribe the so-called empirical therapy using antisecretory and prokinetic drugs. Only after the absence of positive dynamics should instrumental research methods be used.
However, there is a hidden danger in this approach. The fact is that many pharmacological agents have a positive effect and reduce the symptoms of many other serious pathologies (for example, cancerous tumors). This greatly complicates timely diagnosis.
Treatment
During the diagnosis, organic or functional dyspepsia can be established. Treatment of the first is aimed at eliminating the causes that provoke the disease. In the case of the latter, therapies are developed individually, taking into account the peculiarities of the clinical picture.
Main goals of treatment:
- discomfort reduction;
- symptom relief;
- relapse prevention.
Non-drug effects
To relieve symptomsdyspepsia, the following methods apply.
- Diet. In this case, one should not adhere to any strict recommendations, it is enough just to normalize the diet. It is better to completely abandon foods that are difficult to process by the intestines, as well as roughage. It is advisable to eat more often, but eat less. It is not recommended to smoke, drink alcohol, drink coffee.
- Stopping certain medications. These are mainly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which have a strong effect on the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Psychotherapeutic impact. Surprisingly, more than half of patients get rid of the symptoms that accompany functional dyspepsia when a placebo is used in the treatment. Thus, such methods of dealing with violations are not only possible, but have repeatedly proven their effectiveness.
Medications
Specific types of pharmacological agents used for a patient diagnosed with functional dyspepsia are determined individually, taking into account the established symptoms.
Typically one to two months of empiric therapy is used.
There are currently no specialized methods of dealing with the disease and its prevention. The following types of medicines are popular:
- antisecretory drugs;
- antacids;
- adsorbentfunds;
- prokinetic pills;
- antibiotics.
In some cases, antidepressants are indicated, which can also relieve the symptoms of non-biological dyspepsia.
If functional dyspepsia is diagnosed in children, treatment should be carried out taking into account the characteristics of the growing organism.
Fight tactics
Modern medical science has not developed long-term methods of working with an ailment.
When the disorder recurs, it is advisable to use drugs that have previously proven effective in getting rid of the symptoms of dyspepsia.
When long-term use of any pill does not relieve the patient's discomfort, treatment with alternative pharmacological agents is recommended.
Conclusion
Functional (as well as biological) dyspepsia is one of the most common diseases. Despite the seeming frivolity, in the presence of its symptoms, the quality of human life is significantly reduced. Therefore, it is important to take preventive measures. To do this, you just need to follow the right diet, exclude stressful effects on the body and have a good rest.
Be he althy!
