Mydyspepsia.com

Dyspepsia has been defined as "pain or discomfort centred in the upper abdomen" but people with dyspepsia may have more than one symptom. People whose predominant symptom is heartburn (i.e. reflux or acid regurgitation, often described as a "sensation of burning in the upper chest") are usually considered to have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, 'reflux' symptoms can also occur along with symptoms caused by peptic ulcer disease, abnormal motility (contractions of the esophagus, stomach or intestines that move food through the digestive tract) or 'non-ulcer dyspepsia'.

Because of this, the Canadian Dyspepsia (CanDys) Working Group has recently published a new, more comprehensive definition which describes dyspepsia as "a symptom complex of epigastric pain or discomfort thought to originate in the upper gastrointestinal tract, and it may include any of the following symptoms: heartburn, acid regurgitation, excessive burping/belching, increased abdominal bloating, nausea, a feeling of abnormal or slow digestion, or early satiety" (feeling full too soon).

Dyspepsia is very common and is estimated to affect roughly 1/4 of the population in Western Europe and North America. In Canada, a recent study showed 29% of the population has substantial symptoms of dyspepsia. For dyspepsia to be considered a chronic condition, symptoms must be present at least 25% of the time over a period of at least three months. Dyspepsia is thought of as a group of symptoms rather than a disorder or disease, and it often occurs without any organic disease. When there is a structural cause, that is a condition like peptic ulcer disease or biliary tract disease (gallstones), symptoms of dyspepsia can ensue. Because the symptoms of functional dyspepsia (without signs of organic disease upon examination) resemble those other organic diseases, such as peptic ulcer disease or gastroparesis (the inability of the stomach to empty properly), functional dyspepsia has been subdivided into ulcer-like, dysmotility-like or unspecified dyspepsia.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is defined as the backflow (or reflux) of stomach contents into the esophagus. When acid refluxes into the esophagus you may experience a sensation of pain and burning radiating from the stomach up through the chest and throat:: this is commonly known as heartburn. Sometimes, stomach contents may even reach the back of the throat or the mouth: this is called regurgitation. It has been estimated that about 1/3 of the North American population has GERD, and about 10% will experience the symptoms (mainly heartburn and regurgitation) on a daily basis.

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