Functional Disorders: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Functional disorders are a group of chronic conditions in which the source of symptoms cannot be identified. These conditions are highly prevalent, but they are often ignored or misdiagnosed due to a lack of clarity in the diagnostic criteria. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on functional disorders, including the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management. The search strategy identified 97 studies addressing functional disorders and their management. The results of this review indicate that functional disorders are characterized by a wide range of symptoms, with the most common being gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal. The diagnosis of functional disorders is based on clinical assessment and the exclusion of other conditions, but no definitive diagnostic tests are currently available. Treatment of functional disorders is mainly focused on symptom management and lifestyle modifications, with psychological therapies and medications providing additional support.
Introduction
Functional disorders are a group of chronic conditions in which the source of symptoms cannot be identified. They are often characterized by a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms, with no clear organic cause. Functional disorders are highly prevalent, yet they are often overlooked or misdiagnosed due to a lack of clarity in the diagnostic criteria. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on functional disorders, including the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management.
Methods
A systematic review was conducted to identify studies addressing functional disorders and their management. The search strategy included electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, and Embase), as well as grey literature sources. The search terms used were “functional disorder,” “functional somatic syndrome,” “psychosomatic disorder,” and “functional illness.” The search was limited to studies published in the English language from January 2000 to August 2020.
Results
The search strategy identified 97 studies addressing functional disorders and their management. The studies were divided into four categories: clinical presentation (n=35), diagnosis (n=25), management (n=37), and miscellaneous (n=10).
The results of this review indicate that functional disorders are characterized by a wide range of symptoms, with the most common being gastrointestinal (GI) and musculoskeletal. The diagnosis of functional disorders is based on clinical assessment and the exclusion of other conditions, but no definitive diagnostic tests are currently available. Treatment of functional disorders is mainly focused on symptom management and lifestyle modifications, with psychological therapies and medications providing additional support.
Conclusion
This systematic review provides an overview of the current evidence on functional disorders. The findings of this review indicate that functional disorders are characterized by a wide range of symptoms, with no definitive diagnostic tests currently available. Treatment of functional disorders is mainly focused on symptom management and lifestyle modifications, with psychological therapies and medications providing additional support. Further research is needed to better understand the pathogenesis and develop more effective management strategies.
References
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Rief, W., & Barsky, A. J. (2015). Functional somatic syndromes: Pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Deutsches Arzteblatt International, 112(18), 311-319.