BACKGROUND: The @entity344 ( @entity344 ) are a heterogenous group of chronic conditions which cause @entity344 . Though common and sometimes disabling, causing considerable social and economic burden, there is little recent literature on presentation or impact of @entity344 in Ireland. AIM: To describe the characteristics of @entity1 with @entity344 at a tertiary referral clinic in Ireland. METHODS: A retrospective review of those attending a university hospital gastroenterology clinic with a special interest in @entity344 between January 1999 and July 2008 was performed. Data were mined from electronic outpatient records and clinic letters. RESULTS: A total of 1,909 @entity1 were included. Of these @entity1 , 41.2% (787 of 1,909) received a diagnosis of FGID. FGID @entity1 were predominantly (70.14%) female and the average age at first presentation was 38.3 years. Of these, 76% (598 of 787) were referred from general practice; 35.8% (282 of 787) received onward referrals to other specialties. Nine hundred @entity344 were diagnosed. The most common FGID was @entity1744 (633 of 900, 70.3%). In the FGID group, 13.1% of @entity1 (103 of 787) had more than one FGID diagnosis. Females received a definitive diagnosis of FGID faster than males; mean diagnostic latency: 5.3 versus 6.4 months (p < 0.05). Sixty-six percent (523 of 787) of FGID @entity1 had non-gastrointestinal co-morbidities, with 315 (60.2%) of these having more than one co-morbidity. The burden of non-GI co-morbidity was significantly higher in @entity1 with overlapping functional syndromes than in @entity1 with single FGID (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In Ireland, @entity344 are common, represent a significant burden for the health-care system and deserve greater recognition and further research attention.

The spectrum of XXXX in a tertiary referral clinic in Ireland.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity1744 :: ('MESH:D043183', 'Disease') :: ['irritable bowel syndrome'] @entity344 :: ('MESH:D005767', 'Disease') :: ['FGIDs', 'troubling gastrointestinal symptoms', 'functional gastrointestinal disorders']
@entity344 :: (MESH:D005767,Disease) :: ['functional gastrointestinal disorders']
