{"id":12629,"date":"2025-06-25T16:04:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T16:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/?p=12629"},"modified":"2025-06-30T07:34:49","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T07:34:49","slug":"functional-dyspepsia-a-common-yet-underrecognised-gut-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/chronic-conditions\/functional-dyspepsia-a-common-yet-underrecognised-gut-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Functional dyspepsia: a common yet under-recognised gut issue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"401\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-12630\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/25154812\/vicky-1750866492-Clara-Ali-Ghalib.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/25154812\/vicky-1750866492-Clara-Ali-Ghalib.jpg 400w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/25154812\/vicky-1750866492-Clara-Ali-Ghalib-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Clara Ali Ghalib<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Consultant to Athena<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Many people suffer continuously, typically after eating. Your GP may refer you to a gastroenterologist for further investigation. The common finding of FD is that endoscopic investigation does not identify anything sinister.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people suffer continuously, typically after eating. Your GP may refer you to a gastroenterologist for further investigation. The common finding of FD is that endoscopic investigation does not identify anything sinister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bothersome-symptoms-of-functional-dyspepsia\"><strong>Bothersome symptoms of functional dyspepsia<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>These symptoms<sup>1<\/sup> include: <sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Upper belly (abdominal) pain that ranges from mild to severe and might feel like burning&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Feeling sick (nausea)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Belching (burping)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bloating<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An uncomfortable feeling of being full after eating regular-sized meals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-surprisingly-common-condition\"><strong>A surprisingly common condition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A study of over 2,200 patients attending an Irish gastroenterology clinic found that around 21% of those with functional digestive disorders were diagnosed with FD.<sup> 2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although not life-threatening, FD can interfere significantly with daily life and work. Often, sufferers feel isolated and frustrated in finding solutions that provide relief. The condition is highly variable between individuals and requires medical advice to develop a plan to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>FD is more common in adults <br>and slightly more common in women.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-causes-and-treatment\"><strong>Causes and treatment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The exact cause is unknown, but several factors may contribute, such as a sensitive digestive system; stress or anxiety; and lifestyle factors (eg. smoking or heavy meals). FD is more common in adults and slightly more common in women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Treatment is typically a combination of lifestyle and medical management. Many sufferers benefit from small changes, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Eating smaller meals more often<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoiding late-night eating and rich foods<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reducing alcohol and caffeine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Managing stress and sleep<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Newer medical treatments have recently become available. If you\u2019re suffering from FD, talk to your doctor. With the right support, many people find effective ways to manage this condition and improve their quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><strong>[1]<\/strong> Guts UK Charity. Functional Dyspepsia.<br><strong>[2] <\/strong>Kelly, P. 2024. Irish Pharmacist. The complexities of gut health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many people suffer continuously, typically after eating. Your GP may refer you to a gastroenterologist for further investigation. The common finding of FD is that endoscopic investigation does not identify anything sinister. Many people suffer continuously, typically after eating. Your GP may refer you to a gastroenterologist for further investigation. The common finding of FD &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/chronic-conditions\/functional-dyspepsia-a-common-yet-underrecognised-gut-issue\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":12631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5977],"tags":[5978],"class_list":["post-12629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chronic-conditions","tag-chronic-conditions-2025"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/25160231\/vicky-1750867350-AdobeStock_408268853-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/06\/25160231\/vicky-1750867350-AdobeStock_408268853-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"henryphillips","author_link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/author\/henryphillips\/"},"vicky_index_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12629"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12705,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12629\/revisions\/12705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}