© 2002 by Gut
SUMMARY 3
Role of visceral sensitivity in functional disorders
Keywords: irritable bowel syndrome; visceral sensitivity; functional gastrointestinal disorders
The pathophysiology of functional digestive disorders is incompletely understood, despite significant advances in the recognition of aetiological factors and pathological mechanisms. Abnormal motility patterns observed in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are neither constant nor specific, and few data from the literature have shown a link between these patterns and pain episodes. Using current methodology, hypersensitivity of afferent fibres is a frequent but not a constant finding among patients with IBS.
Hypervigilance to abdominal events and stress both sensitise healthy volunteers to distension. Recently developed functional imaging techniques have shown differences in cortical activation induced by rectal distension between patients and controls and between male and female patients with IBS. However, further studies are needed to confirm these observations and to define the exact roles of the peripheral and central components of visceral hypersensitivity. Meanwhile, recent advances in our knowledge of the neurotransmitters and receptors involved in processing visceral sensation provides
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