The Associations Between Acid-Suppressive Drug Intake and Symptom Profiles in Functional Dyspepsia Patients Referred...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Clinical Medicine
• Digestive Health

Background:

• Functional dyspepsia (FD) presents with upper abdominal symptoms like pain or fullness, often treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).
• The effectiveness of acid suppression in managing FD symptoms is not well-established due to symptom-based diagnosis.
• Understanding the relationship between acid-suppressive therapy and FD symptom presentation is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of acid-suppressive therapy use among patients diagnosed with FD.
• To compare the symptom patterns of FD patients who use acid-suppressive treatments versus those who do not.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional observational study involving 1158 ambulatory patients undergoing upper endoscopy.
• Patients completed the Waiting Room Questionnaire (WRQ); FD was diagnosed using Rome IV criteria.
• Acid-suppression was defined by self-reported use of PPIs or H2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs); symptom frequencies were compared.

Main Results:

• 27% of patients met the criteria for FD. 60% of FD patients reported using acid-suppressive therapy.
• FD patients on acid-suppression showed higher frequencies of early satiation, nausea, and epigastric pain.
• Subgroup analyses indicated associations with epigastric burning, postprandial fullness, and early satiation.

Conclusions:

• Functional dyspepsia is a common condition in patients undergoing endoscopy.
• Acid-suppressive therapy is frequently used by FD patients, but is associated with slightly increased symptom reporting.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the complex associations between acid suppression and FD symptomology.