Overview of functional bowel disorders

The true incidence of functional physical disorders is higher in general practice including functional bowel disorders. It leads to a high socio-economic burden by way of delayed diagnosis. ROME III criteria are used to diagnose these disorders. Although there are specific clinical diagnostic features, definite diagnostic investigations are unavailable. Recent scientific studies link the mind and body as part of a system where their dysregulation can produce illness and disease where psycho-social factors do play a role in addition to genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. The brain-gut axis is now an area of intense research in studying these functional disorders and psychotherapy, behavioral modification and psycho-pharmacotherapy are becoming increasingly important to manage such disorders.