Dyspepsia – assessment

Dyspepsia origin from Greek word dyspeptos : dys- bad , pepsis -digestion A definition proposed by Crean et al more than two decades ago is still considered one of the most comprehensive and it describes dyspepsia as an " episodic recurrent or persistent abdominal pain or discomfort or any other symptoms referable to the upper alimentary tract , excluding bleeding or jaundice , of duration 4 week or longer "

it can encompass a variety of symptoms and presentations like epigastric discomfort , bloating , early satiety , belching , nausea and heartburn symptoms are localised by the patient to the epigastric region and flanks symptoms are attributable to the upper gastrointestinal tract references to dyspepsia have been found in writings of Hippocrates and Galen - ie it has been present for a long time dyspepsia is a symptom and not a disease the symptoms of dyspepsia may be acute e.g in gastroenteritis or chronic

How common -common problems - seen by both primary care physicians and gastroenterologists systemic reviews have reported that 20 % of the population has dyspepsia globally other reports mention that dyspepsia affects up to 40 % of adults each year and about 10 % of...