Aerophagia in adults: a comparison with functional dyspepsia

Aerophagia is a functional upper gastrointestinal disorder that has not previously been well described in a large patient group.

To describe the initial evaluation of patients who presented with symptoms of aerophagia at a tertiary medical centre.

A computerized search was used to identify all patients who were diagnosed with aerophagia at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester between 1996 and 2003 (n = 79). Individual medical charts were abstracted for information on the demographics, clinical features, co-morbid diagnoses, diagnostic workup and treatment. Information on presenting symptoms was also collected for a group of patients who were classified as having functional dyspepsia for comparison (n = 121).

The median duration of symptoms in patients with aerophagia was 24 months. The most common symptoms were belching (56%), abdominal pain (19%), bloating (27%) and abdominal distension (19%). Patients with functional dyspepsia had a higher prevalence of reporting nausea, vomiting, early satiety, weight loss and abdominal pain (all P < 0.01, adjusting for age, gender and body mass index). Significantly more patients with aerophagia had anxiety (19%) than those with functional dyspepsia (6%, P < 0.01).

Individuals with aerophagia experience prolonged upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Initial presenting symptoms appear to be distinctly different from those who have functional dyspepsia.