Relationship between symptom pattern, assessed by the PAGI-SYM© questionnaire, and gastric sensorimotor dysfunction in functional dyspepsia

Abstract The patient assessment of upper gastrointestinal symptom severity index (PAGI‐SYM) questionnaire was recently developed and validated for the evaluation of therapeutic responsiveness in functional dyspepsia (FD). Functional dyspepsia is a heterogeneous disorder, with different pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the symptom pattern. The relationship between PAGI‐SYM scores and putative pathophysiological mechanisms has not been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between PAGI‐SYM subscales and gastric emptying, gastric sensitivity and gastric accommodation in FD. A total of 161 consecutive FD patients underwent Helicobacter pylori (HP), gastric barostat and standardized gastric emptying testing (n = 126), and completed the PAGI‐SYM questionnaire. Relationships between scores for the six subscales (heartburn/regurgitation, nausea/vomiting, fullness/satiety, bloating, upper abdominal pain, lower abdominal pain) and gastric function were analysed using Pearson’s linear correlation, multiple regression analysis, chi‐square and Student’s t‐tests. Gastric emptying was significantly correlated with scores for heartburn/regurgitation (r = 0.26), nausea/vomiting (r = 0.19), fullness/satiety (r = 0.20), bloating (r = 0.21) and lower abdominal pain (r = 0.22; all P < 0.05). Patients with delayed emptying had significantly higher scores for each of these subscales (all P < 0.05). Discomfort volume during gastric distension was significantly correlated with scores for fullness/satiety (r = ?0.27), bloating (r = ?0.23), heartburn/regurgitation (r = ?0.21), and upper abdominal pain (r = ?0.20). Patients with hypersensitivity to distension had significantly higher scores for fullness/satiety (P < 0.05). At different cut‐off levels of symptom severities, consistent associations were found between fullness/satiety and gastric discomfort volume, between preprandial volumes and upper abdominal pain, compliance and upper abdominal pain, and between bloating and gastric discomfort volume. Multiple regression analysis revealed that gastric emptying rate contributed significantly to models for the severity of these subscales. The importance of discomfort volume disappeared in favour of gender when sex was included in the model. No significant correlations were found with HP status or with gastric accommodation. PAGI‐SYM scores are mainly correlated with gastric emptying rate and with gastric hypersensitivity. Multivariate analysis suggests that the questionnaire may be useful in the evaluation of gastroprokinetics. Its role in the evaluation of drugs that alter gastric sensitivity is less clear.     

Symptom pattern and pathophysiological correlates of weight loss in tertiary-referred functional dyspepsia

Abstract  In patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, weight loss is an alarm symptom, indicative of organic disease. Recent studies reported weight loss in subsets of functional dyspepsia (FD) patients. The aim of this study was to analyse symptom patterns associated with weight loss in tertiary care FD. Six hundred and thirty-six FD patients (67% female, mean age 43 years) completed a dyspepsia questionnaire, and underwent gastric emptying and gastric barostat studies. After identifying independent symptom domains through orthogonal factor analysis, patients were clustered on the basis of symptom profile. Clusters were compared in terms of their association with weight loss and gastric emptying or sensorimotor function. Weight loss (4.2 kg on average) correlated most strongly with early satiety followed by nausea and vomiting ( ρ respectively 0.38, 0.28 and 0.23, all P  < 0.0001). Factor analysis revealed three factors: Factor 1 characterized by nausea, vomiting and early satiety; factor 2 by early satiety, postprandial fullness and bloating; and factor 3 by pain, epigastric burning and belching. Subsequent cluster analysis revealed six patient clusters. The most severe cluster, which loaded high on all three factors, and a cluster dominated factor 2 were associated with the highest average weight loss (6.8 and 8.0 kg, respectively). The former cluster was also characterized by visceral hypersensitivity and delayed gastric emptying. The lowest weight loss occurred in the two clusters that had depressed scores for both early satiety associated factors (2.4 and 2.5 kg, respectively). In tertiary care FD, weight loss is strongly associated with two early satiety associated symptom clusters.