Abstract
Patients reporting 'gas' represent a unique challenge for the physician. Because simple tests that can objectively document a gaseous abnormality are lacking, the physician is forced to rely on the patient's perception of the nature and severity of the problem. A discrepancy exists between patients' beliefs and the results of investigative studies. Subjects fervently believe that excessive gas is the cause of a variety of symptoms, but the few studies of gaseous patients suggest that gas usually has a minor role in these symptoms. Furthermore, enormous gaps in our understanding of the pathogenesis of gaseous symptoms help make treatment of these problems highly unsatisfactory.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 209-218 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Clinical Perspectives in Gastroenterology |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 4 |
State | Published - Jan 1 2000 |
Externally published | Yes |