Chronic Abdominal Pain: A Real Pain in the Gut

Grant Chen, MD, FRCPC, Clinical Associate, Division of Gastroenterology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON.

Chronic abdominal pain is a common problem that is frustrating for both the patient and the physician. This article provides a general approach to chronic abdominal pain, including diagnostic considerations (both organic and functional) as well as important features for diagnosis and management of the common chronic functional abdominal pain syndromes.
Key words: chronic abdominal pain, functional abdominal pain, irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia.