Abstract
Gastroduodenal ulcer, ulcerative colitis, chronic pancreatitis, and functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia are typical gastrointestinal diseases associated with stress. Acute gastric mucosal lesion and gastroduodenal ulcer appear to be associated with physical and psychological stressors, respectively. Chronic long-term stress increases the risk of exacerbation in ulcerative colitis, and the patient's sense of pain from chronic pancreatitis also appears to be increased by stress. Stress is known to induce physical abnormalities such as abnormal motility and visceral hypersensitivity of the gut, while physical abnormality also produces stress. This relationship is called the “brain-gut axis”. FGID patients often display more severe symptoms of physical abnormality in response to stress than healthy individuals. Currently, corticotropin releasing factor has attracted attention as a promising substance to control the brain-gut axis, although the mechanism underlying the brain-gut axis remains to be elucidated.
