Common questions and rationale answers about the intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome (SIBO)

Abstract

The recognition and treatment of intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome are matters of controversy. The symptoms that have guided the search for the disorder suffer from lack of specificity, especially in the absence of well-defined predisposing factors. The accuracy of diagnostic procedures has been questioned and the proposed therapies achieve generally low effectiveness figures, with large differences between available studies. It is also unknown whether the normalization of tests is really a guarantee of cure. Within this framework of uncertainty, and in order to contribute to the guidance and homogenization of medical practice, a group of experts from the AEG and ASENEM have formulated the key questions on the management of this pathology and have provided answers to them, in accordance with the available scientific evidence. In addition, they have drawn up statements based on the conclusions of the review and have voted on them individually to reflect the degree of consensus for each statement.