Aerophagia as the Initial Presenting Symptom of a Depressed Patient

Abstract

Sir: As reported in the recently published article by Haug et al.,1 gastrointestinal symptoms are reported in as much as 50% of the general population and are even more common in patients with a diagnosis of an anxiety or depressive disorder. One particular gastrointestinal complaint is aerophagia, which is “a repetitive pattern of swallowing or ingesting air and belching.”2 Air swallowing, whether inadvertent or purposeful, is not an uncommon symptom of psychopathology.3 The following case report describes a patient with depression and concomitant aerophagia. Interestingly, the patient initially presented to a health care professional with a chief complaint of chronic and intractable belching and was later diagnosed with depression. This case serves to reinforce the importance of a psychiatric assessment within the primary care setting.