Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics
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Dyspepsia can be defined as the presence of upper abdominal pain or discomfort; other symptoms referable to the proximal gastrointestinal tract, such as nausea, early satiety, and bloating, may also be present. Symptoms may or may not be meal related. To be termed chronic, dyspepsia should have been present for three months or longer. ⋯ Bismuth has been shown to be superior to placebo in patients with H. pylori in a number of studies, but these trials had several shortcomings and others have reported conflicting findings. Sucralfate was demonstrated in one study to be superior to placebo, but this finding was not confirmed by another group of investigators. Prokinetic drugs appear to be efficacious, and may be most useful in patients with dysmotility-like and reflux-like dyspepsia.