Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs): Diagnosis and Pathophysiology, Second Edition

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2127

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Gastroenterology, MetroHealth Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA
Interests: neurogastroenterology and motility; neuromodulation; GERD; functional dyspepsia; gastroparesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

FGIDs, such as functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome, are the most common disorders seen by gastroenterologists. FGIDs are often recognized by the coexistence of multiple morphologic and physiological abnormalities, including motility disturbance, visceral hypersensitivity, altered mucosal and immune function, altered gut microbiota, and altered central nervous system processing. FGIDs affect over 40% of people worldwide, decrease quality of life, and impose a significant burden on healthcare systems. An accurate diagnosis and better understanding of pathophysiology are critically important for FGIDs. Authors are invited to submit original research articles, mini-reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and case reports on the diagnosis and pathophysiology of FGIDs.

FGIDs: gastroesophageal reflux disease, non-cardiac chest pain, dysphagia, functional dyspepsia, gastroparesis, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, intestinal gas, constipation, diarrhea, and fecal incontinence;

Diagnostic methods: esophageal manometric, electrogastrography, impedance, barostat, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, anorectal manometry, and other novel methods;

Pathophysiology: gastrointestinal dysmotility, visceral hypersensitivity, disorders of the brain–gut interaction, autonomic dysfunction, impaired barrier function, dysbiosis, altered autoimmune mechanisms, inflammatory, altered brain functions, etc. 

Due to the nature of the journal, contributions solely on the management of FGIDs are not suitable for this Special Issue. If needed, potential contributors may send their abstracts to this Special Issue for clarification.

Dr. Gengqing Song
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • functional gastrointestinal disorders
  • diagnosis
  • treatment approach
  • ROME criteria

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 1162 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Prevalence of Functional Gastrointestinal Diseases and the Accompanied Differences in Dietary and Lifestyle Patterns: A Two-Generational Study
by Elham A. Aljaaly and Mai A. Khatib
Diagnostics 2024, 14(15), 1630; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14151630 - 29 Jul 2024
Viewed by 807
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Generation Z and millennials in Saudi Arabia both experienced the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying factors that may have had an impact on the incidence of functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGIDs) in both generations. This study aims to [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Generation Z and millennials in Saudi Arabia both experienced the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying factors that may have had an impact on the incidence of functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGIDs) in both generations. This study aims to explore how prevalent FGIDs are among adolescents and their parents. Methods and Study Design: A cross-sectional, school-based study conducted in public high schools for boys and girls in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We adapted 37 items from the ROME IV Diagnostic Questionnaires for children and adults, as well as other questionnaires. IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 28.0) was used. Results: Generation Z showed a higher prevalence of FGIDs (33.5%, n = 126) in comparison with millennials (20.0%, n = 28). In both generations, the most prevalent FGID was functional constipation; the least prevalent were irritable bowel syndrome and abdominal migraine, with no significant change in the severity or frequency of symptoms during the pandemic. The type of commonly consumed beverages was a risk factor for FGIDs. Participants in generation Z were less likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (67.4%) to prevent diseases and enhance immunity compared with millennials (82.9%). Conclusions: The study results confirmed disparities in the prevalence of FGIDs between the two generations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires further research in other areas of Saudi Arabia. Recognizing the differences between the millennial parents and the generation Z high schoolers could assist health professionals in planning individualized, generation-based interventions and educators in designing and tailoring programs based on generational differences. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 2966 KiB  
Review
Utilizing Esophageal Motility Tests in Diagnosing and Evaluating Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
by Wangliu Yang, Yurong Huang, Lei He, Dongmei Chen, Sheng Wu, Yan Tian, Juan Zheng, Jie Yang and Gengqing Song
Diagnostics 2024, 14(14), 1467; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14141467 - 9 Jul 2024
Viewed by 919
Abstract
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a prevalent clinical condition, is often attributed to aberrant esophageal motility, leading to gastric content reflux and associated symptoms or complications. The rising incidence of GERD presents an escalating healthcare challenge. Endoscopic and esophageal reflux monitoring can provide a [...] Read more.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a prevalent clinical condition, is often attributed to aberrant esophageal motility, leading to gastric content reflux and associated symptoms or complications. The rising incidence of GERD presents an escalating healthcare challenge. Endoscopic and esophageal reflux monitoring can provide a basis for the diagnosis of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, but when the diagnostic basis is at an inconclusive value, some additional supportive evidence will be needed. Advanced technology is the key to improving patient diagnosis, accurate assessment, and the development of effective treatment strategies. High-resolution esophageal manometry (HREM) and endoscopic functional lumen imaging probe (EndoFLIP) represent the forefront of esophageal motility assessment. HREM, an evolution of traditional esophageal manometry, is considered the benchmark for identifying esophageal motility disorders. Its widespread application in esophageal dynamics research highlights its diagnostic significance. Concurrently, EndoFLIP’s emerging clinical relevance is evident in diagnosing and guiding the treatment of coexisting esophageal motility issues. This review integrates contemporary research to delineate the contributions of HREM, EndoFLIP, and novel technologies in GERD. It examines their efficacy in facilitating an accurate diagnosis, differentiating similar gastrointestinal disorders, quantifying the extent of reflux, assessing the severity of the disease, forecasting patient responsiveness to proton pump inhibitor therapy, and guiding decisions for surgical interventions. The overarching aim is to deepen the understanding of GERD’s underlying mechanisms and advance the formulation of holistic, efficacious treatment approaches. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop