Analysis of the eating behaviors associated with refractory functional dyspepsia

Abstract

Objective To explore the eating behaviors associated with refractory functional dyspepsia (RFD). Methods In this multicenter, prospective trial, 1341 new outpatients with functional dyspepsia (FD) from three Guangdong hospitals who had been diagnosed according to the Rome III criteria were enrolled from May to September in 2012.One hundred healthy volunteers were also enrolled as controls. A questionnaire was used to obtain data, and logistic regression analysis was used for analysis. Results ①RFD was diagnosed in 24.4% of the FD patients. ②Unhealthy eating behaviors were significantly greater in patients with RFD and non-RFD than in the normal controls. Patients with RFD skipped meals more often, ate extra meals, and preferred sweets and gas-producing foods (P<0.05). ③A comparison among the non-RFD subtypes, showed that those with epigastric pain syndrome had a greater preference for spicy foods (47.5% vs 35.7%, P<0.05), and those with postprandial distress syndrome had a greater preference for sweets(50.0% vs 36.4%, P<0.05) and gas-producing foods (14.9% vs 7.1%, P<0.05). Those with both subtypes skipped more meals(30.1%vs17.0%, P<0.05), and ate extra meals (15.0% vs 6.5%, P<0.05). ④Logistic regression analysis showed that meal skipping(95%CI, 1.177~2.272; P=0.003), eating extra meals(95%CI, 1.015~2.604; P=0.043), and a preference for sweets(95%CI, 1.040~1.757; P=0.024) and gas-producing foods(95%CI, 1.022~2.306; P=0.039) were risk factors for RFD. Conclusion Unhealthy eating behaviors, especially, meal skipping, eating extra meals, preferring sweets and gas-producing foods correlate with RFD and these behaviors may be the key reasons for the refractory characteristic of RFD. Key words: Functional dyspepsia; Refractory; Eating behaviors