Background/Aims Dyspeptic symptoms are common in patients with functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, and may be related to visceral hypersensitivity. We aim to explore the relation between visceral hypersensitivity by using an ultrasonographic meal test and questionnaires in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and/or functional dyspepsia (FD). Methods Patients (FD, n = 94; IBS, n = 88; IBS + FD, n = 66, healthy controls [HC], n = 30) were recruited consecutively and examined with ultrasound of the proximal and distal stomach after drinking 500 mL of a low caloric meat soup, and scored dyspeptic symptoms on a visual analogue scale (0-100 mm) before and after the meal. Psychological symptoms were assessed by Visceral Sensitivity Index (GI specific anxiety, n = 58), and Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire-neuroticism (EPQ-N, n = 203). Results Patients with IBS and/or FD reported higher levels of nausea, upper GI discomfort, and epigastric pain both before and after a liquid meal compared to HC (P < 0.001), and had a larger antral area in a fasting state, compared to HC. We found impaired accommodation in 33% of the patients with FD, however ultrasound measurements and symptom severity did not correlate. Symptoms of epigastric pain, fullness and upper GI discomfort positively correlated to Visceral Sensitivity Index and EPQ-N in a fasting state, but not postprandially. Conclusions Nausea, upper GI discomfort, and epigastric pain was common in patients with IBS and FD. Both patient groups had enlarged antral area in a fasting state compared to HC. Discomfort and pain were associated to GI specific anxiety and neuroticism in a fasting state.
Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms appear frequently in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), but the associations between psychopathological, GI, and eating disorder (ED) symptoms remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the relationships of GI complaints with psychopathological measures, ED symptoms, and body mass index (BMI) in patients with AN.Method: Thirty outpatients with AN aged >16 years were included. Psychopathological measures (Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory), ED symptoms (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire), EDassociated impairment (Clinical Impairment Assessment Questionnaire), GI complaints (Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System [IBS-SSS]), and BMI were assessed prior to starting treatment, and correlation and multiple regression analyses were applied to data from 19 patients.Results: IBS-symptoms were significantly correlated only with ED symptoms (r = 0.583, p = .009) and somatization (r = 0.666, p = .002). Multiple regression analysis revealed that somatization significantly predicted worse IBS symptoms (beta = 0.5, p = .04), while ED symptoms did not.Discussion: Higher IBS-SSS scores were associated with higher severities of other somatic complaints. GI complaints and somatization should be addressed in treatments for AN in order to prevent these factors impeding the establishment of healthy eating patterns.Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02745067. K E Y W O R D S anorexia nervosa, eating disorders, functional gastrointestinal disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, somatoform disorders
By combining ultrasonography, the symptom response to a standardized meal, and psychological assessment, the UMAT is useful in diagnosis and management of patients with FGID.
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