Bush Beats Vol-7, No-2, 2021

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) continue to be a prevalent set of conditions faced by the healthcare team. This complex set of disorders has a significant emotional and economic impact. FGIDs, such as functional dyspepsia (FD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), are characterized by chronic or recurrent abdominal symptoms of pain. Although gastrointestinal symptoms are highly prevalent in FGID, there remains no organic explanation for the symptoms in most of the patients. Most of these people will be labelled as having an FGID, such as IBS, FD, or functional constipation. These conditions affect up to 40% of people at any one point in time. Among them twothird usually have chronic, fluctuating symptoms.

Allergic disorders, such as allergic rhinitis and urticaria, are common worldwide; and the prevalence is constantly increasing. Allergic disorders constitute a significant cause of morbidity, such that presence of one allergic disorder has been found to increase the risk of other allergic disorders affecting different organ systems. Allergies and related diseases including asthma, rhinosinusitis, and atopic dermatitis affect at least 30% of the population and nearly 80% of families. These disorders have a detrimental effect on patients’ physical, psychological, social, educational, and work functioning, with huge socioeconomic implications for healthcare systems and also for the society.