The characteristics of functional heartburn remain poorly understood. Savarino et al. have now demonstrated that functional heartburn has more in common with functional dyspepsia than with nonerosive reflux disease. This study suggests that there is substantial overlap between functional heartburn and functional dyspepsia, and possibly that these two disorders may actually be one functional esophagogastric disorder.
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R. Fass declares that he is a consultant for Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Eisai, Vecta and Xenoport. R. Fass is also on the speakers bureau for Takeda Pharamceuticals and Eisai, and he receives grant/research support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth and Astrazeneca. T. Hershcovici declares no competing interests.
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Hershcovici, T., Fass, R. Are functional heartburn and functional dyspepsia one disorder?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 7, 71–72 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2009.233
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2009.233
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