Functional bowel disorder
Overview
In medicine, the term functional bowel disorder refers to a group of bowel disorders which are characterised by chronic abdominal complaints without a structural or biochemical cause that could explain symptoms. Functional bowel disorders include, among others:
- Functional dyspepsia
- Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP)
- Chronic abdominal pain
- Functional constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
The Rome process has been pivotal in defining the functional gastrointestinal disorders. Successively, the Rome I, Rome II and the Rome III meetings have proposed a consensual classification system and terminology, as recommended by the Rome Coordinating Committee.