Speech therapy in patients with excessive supragastric belching--a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Excessive belching is often caused by supragastric belching, a pattern involving rapid air intake and expulsion.
• This belching behavior is influenced by attention and distraction, suggesting a behavioral component.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of speech therapy for patients experiencing excessive supragastric belching.
• To identify the mechanism of belching using impedance monitoring and manometry.

Main Methods:

• 17 patients with excessive belching underwent concurrent impedance monitoring and high-resolution manometry.
• Patients identified with supragastric belching were referred for speech therapy.
• Symptom severity was assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before and after treatment.

Main Results:

• Speech therapy was completed by 11 patients, with significant symptom reduction observed (P < 0.05).
• Six patients reported substantial symptom decrease (>30%), and four reported modest decrease (<30%).
• One patient experienced an increase in symptoms post-therapy.

Conclusions:

• Speech therapy provided by a knowledgeable speech pathologist significantly reduces symptoms in patients with excessive supragastric belching.
• This study is the first to demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of speech therapy for excessive belching.