Moving forward: may some of “functional” gut disorders be reclassified as enteric neuro-gliopathies?

“Functional” gut disorders are clinical conditions frequently encountered in clinical practice, often characterized by abnormalities of the intestinal sensory and motor functions. Although traditionally believed not harboring organic abnormalities, some of these disorders have been demonstrated to have more or less subtle involvement of the enteric nervous system. This involvement has been especially documented for enteric glial cells, even though other elements may be involved. Given the pivotal role of enteric glial cells in gut pathophysiology and their evident abnormalities in some disorders of gut-brain interaction, it may be time to reconsider their role and recognize them as an important pathophysiological factor in these conditions. Thus, due to the prominent neuronal and glial involvement in some clinically severe forms, it is proposed that at least some of the “functional” gut disorders should be reclassified as enteric neuro-gliopathies.