| [ Summary ] |
The gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) are as severe as the symptoms of organic gastrointestinal disease. There is a high prevalence of anxiety in patients with FGID, and early life events, such as sexual abuse, are associated with the occurrence of FGID. For patients with FGID, psychosocial problems are more frequently the main complaint compared to gastrointestinal symptoms. Furthermore, psychosocial traits are predictive of the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms, the occurrence of FGID, and the severity of FGID symptoms and their outcome. Experimentally induced anxiety would alter gastric and colonic sensorimotor function in both healthy adults and patients with FGID by influencing the gut microbiota and mucosal mast cells in the GI tract ; however, patients with FGID are considered to have a pathological mechanism that results in a more exaggerated response to psychological stimulation compared to healthy controls. |