Management of dyspepsia in general practice. A critical assessment.

The International Gastro Primary Care Group (IGPCG) Upper Gastrointestinal Disease Management Plan is mainly characterised by the proposal that management of patients with upper gastrointestinal syndromes be based on the predominant symptom, rather than on symptom clusters. Although no study has directly tested this hypothesis in general practice, some data indirectly support the proposal. Classification based on the relevance of specific symptoms could identify distinct subgroups of patients with functional dyspepsia with at least partially different features. Data obtained from the literature are discussed and evaluated in relation to the suggested algorithm. Overall, this management plan for patients with dyspepsia seems to be both safe and effective. However, there is a need for prospective studies evaluating its actual validity.