Gastroenterology

Functional GI Disorders

structural diseases of the intestinal tract, are maladies that have produced multiple symptoms of pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or difficult passage of food or feces. Although structural diseases are often identified by pathologists and sometimes cured by medical technology, the nonstructural symptoms that we describe as “functional” remain enigmatic and fewer amenable to explanation or effective treatment. Often considered “problems of living,” there are physiological, intrapsychic, and sociocultural factors that amplify perception of those symptoms in order that they are experienced as severe, troublesome, or threatening, with subsequent impact on daily life activities. Those affected by such symptoms attribute them to an illness and self-treat or seek medical aid.