Glossary F

F

Failure to thrive (Pediatric)

A condition that occurs when a baby does not grow normally.

Familial

Tending to occur in more members of a family than expected by chance alone.

Fecalith:

A hard mass of dried feces.

Feces

Waste eliminated from the bowels.

Fistula

An abnormal passage between two organs or between an organ and the outside of the body.

5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)

See Serotonin.

Food allergy

An immune system response by which the body creates antibodies as a reaction to certain food. Studies show that true food allergies are present in only 1-2% of adults.

Functional abdominal pain

Continuous, nearly continuous, or frequently recurrent pain localized in the abdomen but poorly related to gut function.

Functional bowel disorder

A functional gastrointestinal disorder with symptoms attributable to the mid or lower gastrointestinal tract.

Functional constipation

A group of functional disorders which present as persistent difficult, infrequent, or seemingly incomplete defecation.

Functional diarrhea

Daily or frequently recurrent passage of loose (mushy) or watery stools without abdominal pain or intervening constipation.

Functional disorder

A functional disorder refers to a "disorder of functioning" where the body's normal activities in terms of the movement of the intestines, the sensitivity of the nerves of the intestines, or the way in which the brain controls some of these functions is impaired. However, there are no structural abnormalities that can be seen by endoscopy, x-ray, or blood tests. Thus a functional GI disorder is identified by the characteristics of the symptoms (e.g., Rome Criteria) and infrequently, when needed, limited tests.

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