Symptom patterns in functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome: relationship to disturbances in gastric emptying and response to a nutrient challenge in consulters and non-consulters

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Abstract
Background: Our aim was to assess the relationship between gastric motor and sensory function and symptom patterns in community subjects and patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods: We recruited 291 asymptomatic blood donors, 151 symptomatic blood donors (recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort), and 40 patients with FD or IBS. Abdominal symptoms were assessed using the bowel disease questionnaire (BDQ) and, in addition, the most bothersome symptom complex identified (dysmotility-type, ulcer-type dyspepsia, or IBS). Gastric emptying time (GET (t1/2, min)) was measured by 13C-octanoic breath test and a nutrient challenge performed. Twenty randomly selected asymptomatic blood donors, 48 symptomatic blood donors (30 FD, 18 IBS), and 40 patients (23 FD, 17 IBS) had additional function testing. Results: GET (t1/2) was significantly (pv controls; pConclusion: Gastric emptying and the global symptom response to a standardised nutrient challenge are abnormal in population based (non-health care seeking) subjects with dyspepsia.