Adults

Functional gastrointestinal (GI) and motility disorders are the most common gastrointestinal disorders experienced in society and are present in a significant proportion of the population. In fact, about 25% of the U.S. population has some activity limitation and impairment of daily function due to these disorders, and the frequency of work absenteeism is second only to the common cold. These disorders comprise about 41% of gastrointestinal problems for which patients seek health care.

Despite their common occurrence and recent, though limited, media attention, functional GI and motility disorders remain hidden in our society. Individuals do not commonly discuss these disorders, particularly when experiencing bowel symptoms. They often feel embarrassment, even to acknowledge them, and may suffer silently experiencing daily abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea, as well as impairments and embarrassments relating to vomiting, flatulence, and incontinence.

Patients with functional GI and motility disorders have lower quality of life scores than population norms, those with organic GI diseases, and those with other chronic illnesses. Yet even with the high prevalence, cost, and burden of these disorders, as well as the growing scientific interest and pharmaceutical development,  only about 1% of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health’s budget is directed toward translational and clinical research for functional GI and motility disorders.

Nonetheless, new knowledge on the mechanisms of these disorders, involving nerve-gut (“mind-body”) function, is leading to newer investigations that have the potential to produce improved treatment options of these disorders. We encourage increased funding at NIH to support the needed research on functional GI and motility disorders, to advance our understanding of these disorders, determine improved treatment options for those affected, and assist in recruiting new investigators to conduct research in the field.

The Need for Research

It is through research that the promise lies for better understanding, better treatment, and perhaps even a cure for these complex illnesses. It is time to recognize that when familiar symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas, heartburn, nausea, and bloating are chronic and unrelenting they are more than simply common symptoms to be treated routinely, frequently in a juggling act of remedies that are all too often ineffective.

Few people recognize the importance of research concerning such common symptoms. Each is so familiar. We see messages everyday in print, on television, or on the Internet about hundreds of over-the-counter or self-help remedies for these symptoms. But while some remedies may provide temporary relief to some, long-term solutions remain merely a hope for many with a functional GI or motility disorder.

Compounding this is the difficulty of convincing others of the need for research when many who live every day with a functional bowel disorder tend to remain silent about it. They may be embarrassed by the symptoms or uncertain of how to explain their disorder when most of the public and even some in the medical profession do not understand the conditions. But there are ways to be heard and to bring about change. Public advocacy and personal support for research are two such ways. IFFGD continues to offer a means for concerned individuals to give voice to their needs.

We Need Your Help

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Your personal support for research is extremely important. Our own futures depend on the actions we take today. The NIH National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) currently has only a limited portfolio in support of research funds for functional GI and motility disorders. If they are not doing enough, who will? The answer is, we must do it ourselves. Through IFFGD, you can take action. We can work together to find novel ways to support research. The IFFGD Research Awards are one small step forward, and we hope to grow this effort in the future. Please consider contributing at your own level of support to IFFGD. Thank you.