Papers of the Week

Thanks to ready access to hydrogen breath testing, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is now commonly diagnosed among individuals presenting with a variety of gastrointestinal and even non-gastrointestinal complaints and is increasingly implicated, in lay press and media in the causation of a diverse array of disorders. Its definition, however, remains controversial and true prevalence, accordingly, undefined. The purpose of this review, therefore, was to provide a historical background to the concept of SIBO, critically review current concepts of SIBO (including symptomatology, pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnosis and treatment), define unanswered questions and provide a road map towards their resolution.