Disorders of Gut-brain Interaction on the US-Mexico Border: A Survey Using Rome IV Criteria

Disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) cause a substantial health burden. Herein we studied the prevalence and characteristics of DGBI and symptoms of bloating/distension in El Paso, Texas on the US-Mexico border, providing a unique opportunity to study the effects of acculturation.

Subjects from community centers completed the Rome IV questionnaire for DGBI, short acculturation scale for Hispanics questionnaire, and bloating/distention Pictograms. Data were presented as prevalence (95% CI) and compared using χ 2 .

Of 216 participants, 197 (127 Hispanics, 90 with English acculturation) were included and 177 completed the Pictograms. Fifty-one [25.9% (20 to 32.6)] subjects fulfilled the criteria for at least one DGBI. Globus and functional dyspepsia were the most common upper DGBI, each in [3.0% (1.1 to 6.5)]. Unspecified functional bowel disorders [8.6% (5.1 to 13.5)], followed by functional abdominal bloating/distention [8.1% (4.7 to 12.9], and irritable bowel syndrome [6.1% (3.2 to 10.4] were the most common functional bowel disorder. Ninety-one (51.4%) reported bloating and/or distension with Pictograms; more frequently in those with DGBI (80.9% vs 40.8%, P < 0.001). Bloating and/or distension were reported by Pictograms in 30% of those not reporting it in the Rome IV Questionnaire. There were no differences based on acculturation or in Hispanics versus non-Hispanics.

On the US-Mexico border, we found a lower prevalence of DGBI than in the US or Mexico. Functional abdominal bloating/distention was more prevalent on the US-Mexico border than in either country. Bloating/distension was more commonly reported with Pictograms than with verbal descriptors. There were no differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanics, suggesting shared environmental/acquired including dietary factors as the underlying mechanisms.