Functional dyspepsia (FD) is the most common condition in patients consulti
ng with upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms, resulting in up to 5% of vis
its to family physicians. By definition, patients with FD have no clinical,
biochemical or endoscopic evidence of an organic disease that is likely to
explain their symp toms. The process to be used in a structured interview
for establishing a clinical diagnosis of FD is presented. The steps are as
follows: determine the duration and the course of the disease; characterize
the current syndrome and review the alarm symptoms; elicit the patient-per
ceived dominant symptom and/or condition; and identify the patient's reason
for consulting and address the psychosocial factors. According to the clin
ical characteristics of the three most frequent causes of dyspepsia (peptic
ulcer, gastroesophageal reflux and FD) and acknowledging that these condit
ions may coexist rather than overlap in some patients, an algorithm is sugg
ested for establishing a working diagnosis of FD and indications for invest
igation, and initiating a management strategy.