Psychosocial distress is associated with abnormal gastric myoelectrical activity in patients with functional...

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a heterogeneous and loosely defined clinical syndrome that is characterized by persistent or recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort centered in the upper abdomen without any identifiable structural or biochemical basis. Gastric myoelectrical activity in functional dyspepsia patients with gastric reddish streaks as a subgroup has not previously been investigated and the potential role of psychosocial distress in the genesis of gastric dysrhythmia in patients with FD is unclear.

Electrogastrography was performed in 45 patients with FD and 35 healthy controls for 30 min in the fasting state and 30 min postprandially. Psychological distress and the number and severity of stressful life events were measured using self-rating questionnaires.

FD patients had a higher percentage of pre- and postprandial dysrhythmia, lower dominant frequency, and a higher instability coefficient as compared to healthy controls. In FD patients, severity of stressful life events was positively correlated with the percentage of tachygastria in the fasting state (r=0.43, p=0.005) and marginally positively correlated with the percentage of postprandial tachygastria (r=0.253, p=0.098) and instability coefficient of the dominant frequency (r=0.256, p=0.093). Total number of stressful life events was marginally positively correlated with fasting tachygastria (r=0.25, p=0.098) and instability coefficient of the postprandial dominant frequency (r=0.287, p=0.056). Interpersonal sensitivity was found to be negatively correlated with fasting dominant frequency in FD patients (r= - 0.311, p<0.05).

FD patients with gastric reddish streaks have abnormal fasting and postprandial gastric myoelectrical activity. Perceived severity of stressful life events and interpersonal sensitivity are associated with disturbance of gastric myoelectrical activity.