Study Finds 1 in 10 People Suffer From Meal-Related Abdominal Pain

According to a survey of more than 50,000 people, about 11% of the world’s population frequently experience abdominal pain when eating their meals. The research was presented at UEG Week Virtual 2021.

Pain associated with eating appears to be more common in young people between the ages of 18 and 28, with 15% of conditions, according to research. Those who experienced frequent abdominal pain from eating were also more likely to experience bloating, a swollen stomach, feeling overly full after eating or feeling full too quickly, constipation, and diarrhea. The same group also had psychological distress and more severe somatic symptoms (which were not gastrointestinal).

In total, 36% of people with frequent meal-related pain suffered from anxiety, compared to 25% in the occasional symptom group and 18% of those who never experienced meal-related pain. Those with frequent seizures also reported higher rates of depression (35 percent) compared to 24 percent in the occasional symptoms group and 17 percent in the group who never had any meal-related pain. . Based on the Rome Foundation’s global epidemiology study2, the results are the result of an online survey of 54,127 people in 26 countries. Respondents were asked if they had abdominal pain and if it was related to diet. They were classified into three groups: those who reported that their abdominal pain was related to meals more than 50% of the time, those who had occasional meal-related pain between 10 and 40% of the time, and those who did not. that rarely or never had meal-related pain.

Esther Colomier, study author and joint doctoral researcher at KU Leuven, Belgium, and University of Gothenburg, Sweden, explained: “The take-home message from this study is that people with pain abdominal muscles related to meals experience other symptoms more frequently and more regularly meet criteria for gut-brain interaction disorders (DGBI, formerly known as functional bowel disorders), including common conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bloating and abdominal distension. “They also have a higher burden of psychological and somatic symptoms, such as back pain or shortness of breath, which are associated with major distress and problems with functioning. These symptoms cause distress and disruption in life. daily, ”she added.

Lower gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation and diarrhea were experienced in 30 percent of those who reported frequent meal-related pain, compared with 20 percent in the group who reported occasional symptoms and 10 percent in the group no symptoms. The same is true for symptoms of bloating and abdominal distension, which were reported up to once a week in the group who experienced frequent pain at eating, compared to two or three days a month in the group with severe pain. occasional pain and one day per month in the group. who showed no symptoms.

Esther Colomier concluded: “The inclusion of meal-related symptoms in future diagnostic criteria for DGBI must be encouraged. In clinical practice, the evaluation of the meal combination in all patients with DGBI could be of major importance to improve and individualize treatment. multidisciplinary care approach, including diet and lifestyle counseling, psychological support and pharmacological therapy. Professor Ami Sperber, lead author of the Global Epidemiology Study of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGID) 2021, which found that 40% of people worldwide have FGID or gut axis disorders. brain, said Ms. Colomier’s study results were of great interest. .

“Many patients with gut-brain interaction disorders (GBI) such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia attribute their symptoms to diet and diet,” explained Prof Sperber. no substantial data on this phenomenon, despite its potential importance for patient care and the study of the pathophysiology of these disorders, ”added Professor Sperber. “This research is the first to use the large database of the Rome Foundation’s Global Epidemiological Study to better understand meal-related abdominal pain and its importance. The authors’ analyzes of this database allowed an assessment of meal-related pain in more than 20 DGBI in terms of diagnosis and potential associations with variables related to socio-demographic factors, psychosocial variables and other variables, ”continued Professor Sperber.

“This allowed Esther Colomier and her team to present a complete picture of abdominal pain associated with meals, their prevalence, their societal burden and their effects on the quality of life of patients suffering from these very widespread disorders”, concluded Professor Sperber. (ANI)

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