[Clinical research techniques in functional digestive disorders].
Functional digestive disorders are characterized by symptoms related to the digestive tract for which no pathological causes can be found using routine diagnostic techniques. In the last few years, several methods have been developed to the study digestive function allow relation between in humans functional alterations, mainly motor and sensory and to be related to functional digestive symptoms. As a result of these advances, both motor and sensory alterations have been identified in subgroups of patients with functional digestive disorders. This knowledge should enable current symptom-based classifications of these disorders to be replaced with new classifications based on specific physiopathologic mechanisms. This would allow more effective therapies aimed at the specific mechanism causing the symptoms to be developed.
Servicio de Aparato Digestivo, Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. serra.jordi@terra.es
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D003938:Diagnostic Techniques, Digestive System; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans