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Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders: 2nd Edition
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Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Gastroenterology & Hepatopancreatobiliary Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2026 | Viewed by 1754

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Hidekazu Suzuki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
Interests: gastroesophageal reflux disease; esophageal cancer; eosinophilic esophagitis; chronic gastritis; gastric cancer; peptic ulcer; gastric MALT lymphoma; colorectal cancer; functional dyspepsia; IBS; IBD
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to contribute to the Special Issue entitled “Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders: 2nd Edition”. This is a new edition; we published some papers in the first edition. For more details, please visit:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jcm/special_issues/CN4BL8KVP5

In the field of upper gastrointestinal disorders, with the remarkable progress in endoscopy and the discovery of H. pylori, morphological diagnosis, pharmacological treatment, and endoscopic treatment have made great progress in benign and malignant diseases. For this reason, it may even be thought that research and development in this area are no longer necessary. However, in reality, lesions and diseases that cannot be seen with the naked eye or endoscopically remain latent. Regarding functional gastrointestinal disorders without organic disease (e.g., FGIDs and DGBI), eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic gastritis, autoimmune gastritis, and even esophageal motility disorders such as achalasia and jackhammer esophagus, there are many unresolved questions. From this point of view, pathological research with regard to the susceptibility to diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract, paying attention to the brain–gut interaction and the cooperative relationship with the gastrointestinal luminal environment (gastrointestinal microbiota, dietary factors, etc.), as well as genetic analysis using multilayer omics, etc., it is necessary to establish diagnostics that make full use of microbial flora analysis or artificial intelligence. It is also necessary to establish highly specific and targeted molecular therapeutics.

In this Special Issue, we would like to see new attempts to boldly tackle various problems in the upper gastrointestinal tract from multiple angles.

Prof. Dr. Hidekazu Suzuki
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • esophagus
  • stomach
  • duodenum
  • DGBI
  • FGIDs
  • helicobacter
  • eosinophilic esophagitis

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 382 KB  
Article
Early-Life and Psychosocial Factors in Adults with Symptoms Consistent with Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction
by Jason N. Chen, Cassidy Swain, Duke Appiah, Charles W. Randall and Sandeep Patel
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(7), 2728; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15072728 - 4 Apr 2026
Viewed by 399
Abstract
Background: Retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (RCPD) is a recently described upper esophageal sphincter motility disorder caused by the inability of the cricopharyngeus muscle to relax, prohibiting belching. While clinical features and treatment have been reported, early-life experiences remain unclear. This study aimed to [...] Read more.
Background: Retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (RCPD) is a recently described upper esophageal sphincter motility disorder caused by the inability of the cricopharyngeus muscle to relax, prohibiting belching. While clinical features and treatment have been reported, early-life experiences remain unclear. This study aimed to explore childhood experiences, comorbidities, and family history in adults reporting symptoms consistent with RCPD. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included adults recruited through an online community focused on RCPD who reported cardinal symptoms consistent with RCPD. The survey collected and descriptively analyzed demographics, symptom profile, family history, neonatal and childhood experiences, psychological factors, and physician visits. Results: Of 225 respondents, 207 met inclusion criteria (mean age 32 years; 69% female). Nearly all experienced abdominal bloating (98%), gurgling noises (98%), flatulence (90%), and inability to belch (100%). Painful hiccupping, a newer described symptom, was reported by 80%. Symptoms began before age 25 in 97%, and 29% reported a first-degree relative affected. Common early-life experiences included emetophobia (39%), anxiety (38%), and difficulty being burped as an infant (20%). No statistically significant crude differences were detected in symptom severity, frequency, gender, or age of onset by presence of experiences. Only 36% felt that any physician understood their condition, and 18% reported their gastroenterologist improved their symptoms. Conclusions: Psychological early-life experiences and family history were common, but exploratory analyses did not detect statistically significant differences in symptom burden by their presence. These findings provide a foundation for future studies investigating the disorder’s pathophysiology. Limited physician recognition highlights the need for greater clinical awareness of this emerging esophageal motility disorder. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders: 2nd Edition)
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14 pages, 885 KB  
Article
Autoimmune Gastritis and Gastric Cancer Risk: Endoscopic and Histopathological Outcomes
by Laura Moreu, Irina Luzko, Joan Llach and Leticia Moreira
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(7), 2486; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15072486 - 24 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1045
Abstract
Background and Aims: Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a chronic immune-mediated condition characterized by corpus-predominant atrophy, which can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency, achlorhydria, and an increased risk of gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) and neuroendocrine tumours. Diagnosis is often challenging due to a long asymptomatic [...] Read more.
Background and Aims: Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a chronic immune-mediated condition characterized by corpus-predominant atrophy, which can lead to vitamin B12 deficiency, achlorhydria, and an increased risk of gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) and neuroendocrine tumours. Diagnosis is often challenging due to a long asymptomatic phase and variable clinical presentation. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of gastric cancer and advanced premalignant lesions and to identify risk factors associated with a worse endoscopic outcome. Methods: This retrospective observational study involving AIG patients undergoing endoscopic surveillance (2006–2024) at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. Patients with AIG were identified based on the presence of anti-parietal cell antibodies and/or intrinsic factor antibodies and underwent endoscopic surveillance with histological assessment. Clinical, serological, endoscopic, and histological data were evaluated to estimate the prevalence of gastric lesions. Potential risk factors were evaluated using logistic regression. Results: A total of 70 patients met the inclusion criteria (median age 60 years; 60% female). Advanced premalignant findings (high- and low-grade dysplasia) were identified in 15.7% of the patients, while GC was found in 5.7%. Atrophy and intestinal metaplasia were present in 98.6% and 74.3% of patients, respectively. Female sex was independently associated with a lower risk of advanced neoplastic findings (OR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.06–0.95; p = 0.044), whereas older age at diagnosis was associated with an increased risk (OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.00–1.11; p = 0.031). Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of premalignant lesions in AIG, endoscopic surveillance appears essential for early detection. The observed associations with female sex and older age, toward lower and higher probabilities of advanced neoplastic findings, respectively, may contribute to future risk stratification models. However, the limited identification of significant predictors underlines the complexity of AIG progression and supports the development of individualized follow-up protocols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Etiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders: 2nd Edition)
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