Dyspepsia in Turkish patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Although dyspepsia is very common in uremic patients, there is not much data on the prevalence of dyspepsia undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The aims of this study are to assess the prevalence of dyspepsia, Helicobacter pylori, and the association between dyspeptic symptoms and diabetes.

One hundred and thirty CAPD patients were included in the study. The presence or absence of dyspepsia was assessed by using the Hong Kong Index of Dyspepsia (HKID) Questionnaire. A score of >or=16 indicates the presence of dyspepsia. The patients who were diagnosed with dyspepsia had endoscopic examination and were judged to be infected with H. pylori if the organism was demonstrated in the biopsy.

Sixty-four of 130 CAPD patients (49.2%) had a HKID score of 16 or more. H. pylori was identified in 17 of 64 CAPD patients with dyspepsia (26.6%). Thirty-four patients (25.8%) were diabetic, and there was no association between diabetes and dyspepsia (P=0.68). The most frequent finding in patients with dyspepsia was gastritis or gastric ulcer in endoscopic evaluation. The mean serum albumin level was also not statistically significantly different between the two groups.

Dyspepsia is common and the prevalence of H. pylori infection is 26.6% in our CAPD patients with dyspepsia. Dyspepsia is not associated with the presence of H. pylori and diabetes in CAPD patients. Large-scale studies are needed to elucidate dyspepsia related risk factors and physiopathological mechanisms.