The prevalence of dyspepsia is 25–40% and it is a common presenting symptom in general practice consultations. Only a small percentage of patients have any organic pathology; the remainder have functional (idiopathic) dyspepsia, which can result in significant morbidity as well as significant costs to the health service when not managed appropriately. As most patients with dyspepsia are managed in the community, GPs should have a framework from which they can manage dyspepsia and understand when it is appropriate to refer for further investigations, such as upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy.
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