This paper reports the incidence of dyspepsia in general practice, the characteristics of patients, the types of complaints presented and the management of the dyspeptic patient by general practitioners. Fourteen general practitioners in the Maastricht region of the Netherlands studied 318 consecutive patients presenting with dyspepsia. Two questionnaires were used: one filled in by the patient (82% response), the other by the physician (100% response). The diagnostic conclusions which were established after three months of follow-up were compared with the diagnostic hypotheses at the initial consultation. The annual consultation rate for dyspepsia was calculated as 27 per 1000 registered subjects. One third of the patients had an earlier history of dyspepsia. Almost all patients (95%) complained of pain, and 37% had been suffering from pain for more than three months before consulting the general practitioner. The general practitioner prescribed medication in 70% of cases; less commonly the patient was referred for x-ray (14%), endoscopy (13%) or to a specialist (11%). A higher age was associated with a higher probability of referral, and with the finding of organic disease. A history of ulcer disease was strongly correlated with the diagnosis of an ulcer during the current episode. The overall concordance between the general practitioner's diagnostic hypothesis at the initial consultation and the diagnostic conclusion after three months of follow-up was 78%; it was highest when minor pathology was suspected. We conclude that dyspepsia is managed well in general practice and is only rarely associated with major lesions. Dyspeptic patients referred to a specialist therefore constitute a highly selected population.