Frequency and risk factors of functional gastro‐intestinal disorders in a rural Indian population

• Published in: Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 378 - 387
• Main Authors: Ghoshal, Uday C, Singh, Rajan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety; Carbonated Beverages - adverse effects; Chewing; Classification; Coffee; Coffee - adverse effects; Constipation; Diarrhea; Diet, Vegan - adverse effects; Dyspepsia; Dyspepsia - etiology; Female; Gastrointestinal diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases - epidemiology; Gastrointestinal Diseases - etiology; Humans; India - epidemiology; Intestine; Irritable bowel syndrome; Irritable Bowel Syndrome - etiology; Male; Mental depression; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; Pain; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Sleep; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tea; Tea - adverse effects; Tobacco; Tobacco Use - adverse effects; Vegetarian diet; Vegetarianism; Young Adult; constipation; epidemiology; functional GI diseases; functional dyspepsia; diarrhea; Irritable bowel syndrome
• ISSN: 0815-9319; 1440-1746; 1440-1746
• DOI: 10.1111/jgh.13465

As best estimates on functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) prevalence are expected from community studies, which are scanty from Asia, we evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of FGIDs in a rural Indian community. House-to-house survey was undertaken by trained interviewers using translated-validated Rome III and hospital anxiety and depression questionnaires. Among 3426 subjects ≥ 18 years old from 3 villages in Uttar Pradesh, 84% participated, of whom 80% were finally analyzed. Of these 2774 subjects (age 38.4 ± 16.5 years, 1573 [56.7%] male), 2654 [95.7%] were vegetarian and 120 [4.3%] non-vegetarian. Socioeconomic classes were upper (16.7%), upper middle (15.1%), lower middle (22%), upper lower (22.2%), and lower (24%) using Prasad's Classification; 603 (21.7%) had FGIDs (413 [14.9%] dyspepsia, 75 [2.7%] irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 115 [4.1%] dyspepsia-IBS overlap), by Rome III criteria. In subjects with dyspepsia, 49/528 (9%) had epigastric pain, 141 (27%) postprandial distress syndromes (EPS, PDS) and 338 (64%) EPS-PDS overlap. IBS was more often diarrhea than constipation-predominant subtype. On univariate analysis, chewing tobacco, aerated drink, tea/coffee, disturbed sleep, vegetarianism, and anxiety parameters and presence of dyspepsia predicting occurrence of IBS were associated with FGIDs. On multivariate analysis, chewing tobacco, aerated soft drink, tea/coffee, vegetarianism, anxiety parameters, and presence of dyspepsia predicting IBS were significant. Functional gastrointestinal disorders, particularly dyspepsia-IBS overlap, are common in rural Indian population; the risk factors included chewing tobacco, aerated soft drink, tea/coffee, vegetarian diet, disturbed sleep, anxiety, and dyspepsia predicting occurrence of IBS.