Functional disorders of the gut

The term 'functional disorders' was previously used to describe a wide range of disorders characterized by symptoms in the absence of known structural or functional abnormalities. Diagnosis must be based on symptoms and a consensus group has agreed a set of definitions called the 'Rome criteria' (www.romecriteria.org). This review discusses the two most common functional disorders: functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome. They share many features with other, rarer conditions and between them account for about 50% of gastroenterology outpatient referrals in the UK.