Functional dyspepsia is a common gut-brain disorder causing persistent upper abdominal symptoms – including pain, bloating, early fullness, and nausea – even when scans and blood tests show no structural damage.
If you've been living with these symptoms and struggling to get a clear answer, you're not alone. Functional dyspepsia is one of the most frequently overlooked gut conditions – and one of the most misunderstood.
What is functional dyspepsia?
Functional dyspepsia is one of the most common disorders of gut-brain interaction, affecting an estimated 10–20% of people worldwide.¹ It is classified under the Rome IV criteria – the diagnostic framework used by gastroenterologists globally to identify functional gut conditions.
Symptoms typically include persistent discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen, feeling full quickly after eating, prolonged fullness after meals, and nausea. They can fluctuate day to day and are often worse around mealtimes, which can make eating feel like something to dread rather than enjoy.
Functional dyspepsia is distinct from IBS, which primarily affects the lower gut, but the two conditions frequently overlap. It's not uncommon to experience both – and both share the same underlying gut-brain mechanism.
Why does functional dyspepsia happen?
Functional dyspepsia isn't caused by structural damage to the stomach. Instead, it involves altered communication between the gut and the brain – meaning the stomach's nerves have become more sensitive than they should be. This is known as visceral hypersensitivity. ²
Normal processes like stomach stretching after a meal can feel disproportionately uncomfortable or painful because gut signals are being amplified.
Stress plays a significant role. When the nervous system is under pressure, it can heighten gut sensitivity and make symptoms feel more intense – even when nothing new is physically wrong. This is why symptoms often flare during difficult periods and settle when stress eases. It's also why symptoms can feel unpredictable and hard to plan around, even when diet stays consistent.
Certain foods can also activate sensitivity – not because they are damaging the stomach, but because they increase gastric load in a system that is already on high alert. That distinction matters, because it changes how symptoms can be understood and addressed.
What helps with functional dyspepsia?
Because functional dyspepsia is driven by gut-brain sensitivity rather than structural injury, management focuses on calming that sensitivity.
Dietary adjustments can help reduce triggers, and understanding the role of pain in gut-brain disorders can make symptoms feel less frightening and more manageable.
Treatments that target gut-brain signaling directly are increasingly recognized as an effective part of care.
If you haven't yet spoken to a gut health clinician, that's a helpful next step – functional dyspepsia has a clear medical explanation and a clear path forward.
Brain-gut therapy, tailored to you
Fix the miscommunication between your back and brain
Overcome life's challenges
Take control of hot flashes and night sweats
Quit smoking in 3 weeks
Frequently asked questions
How is functional dyspepsia diagnosed?
Functional dyspepsia is diagnosed based on symptom patterns and duration rather than test results. A gastroenterologist will typically rule out structural conditions first – such as ulcers or celiac disease – before confirming a functional dyspepsia diagnosis. Normal test results are not a dead end; they are often part of reaching the right answer.
Could my dyspepsia symptoms be something more serious?
Persistent upper gut symptoms should always be assessed by a doctor, particularly if you experience weight loss, difficulty swallowing, or vomiting. Once structural conditions have been ruled out, ongoing symptoms are most commonly explained by a gut-brain disorder like functional dyspepsia.
What is the difference between functional dyspepsia and IBS?
Functional dyspepsia primarily affects the upper gut – causing pain, nausea, and fullness centered around the stomach. IBS primarily affects the lower gut, causing bloating, bowel changes, and abdominal cramping. Both are gut-brain disorders driven by the same underlying mechanism – visceral hypersensitivity – and it is common to experience both at the same time.
Does functional dyspepsia go away on its own?
Symptoms can improve over time but tend to fluctuate – periods of improvement followed by flares triggered by stress, diet, or illness. Addressing the underlying gut-brain sensitivity rather than just managing individual triggers tends to produce the most sustained improvement.
