Frequent meal-related abdominal pain linked to disorders of gut-brain interaction
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Assessing meal-related symptoms among patients with disorders of the gut-brain interaction may improve and individualize treatment, according to a presentation at UEG Week Virtual 2021.
“Up to 40% of the global population frequently experience gastrointestinal symptoms that reoccur and when these patients consult a doctor their standard of care routine clinical workup comes back normal; most of these people likely suffer from disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI),” Esther Colomier, a joint PhD student at University of Gothenburg in Sweden and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, said during the UEG Week Virtual 2021 press briefing. “These DGBIs are benign conditions in the sense that they do not lead to serious complications or affect life expectancy, but they can still negatively impact the daily lives of patients.”
To investigate the link between food intake and the onset of GI symptoms as well as characterize the individuals who experienced meal-related pain, researchers analyzed internet survey results from 54,127 subjects previously reported in the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study. Following further stratification by the presence and frequency of abdominal pain as it related to food intake, the final study population was 28,065 subjects: 18% reported no relation between pain and food intake, 23% reported occasional relation and 11% reported frequent relation. Researchers noted higher prevalence rates among woman compared with men (13% vs. 9%) as well as among younger subjects (15% aged 18-29 years vs. 10% aged 45-59 years).
“If you looked at the DGBI diagnosis they fulfilled, we found that there was a larger proportion of subjects with frequent meal-related abdominal pain fulfilling diagnostic criteria for all types of the DGBI compared to the individuals who only occasionally or never reported meal-related abdominal pain,” Colomier said.
She further noted an increased number of diagnoses correlated with a gradual increase in the proportion of subjects with frequent meal-related abdominal pain.
“Individuals who frequently experienced meal-related abdominal pain more often experienced other GI symptoms and can more likely be diagnosed with a DGBI. They have a higher burden of non-GI somatic symptoms, more severe psychological distress (anxiety: 36% vs. 25% vs. 18%, respectively) and poorer quality of life and are more likely to use health care services for their complaints,” Colomier concluded. “Assessing new related symptoms in all patients with DGBI could therefore be of major importance ... to improve and individualize their treatment approach.”
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Colomier E. The global prevalence and burden of meal-related abdominal pain. Presented at: UEG Week; Oct. 3-5, 2021 (virtual meeting).
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