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Aerophagia in adults: a comparison with functional dyspepsia
Author(s) -
CHITKARA D. K.,
BREDENOORD A. J.,
RUCKER M. J.,
TALLEY N. J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2005.02651.x
Subject(s) - medicine , vomiting , nausea , abdominal pain , bloating , cyclic vomiting syndrome , anxiety , irritable bowel syndrome , abdominal distension , pediatrics , psychiatry
Summary Background : Aerophagia is a functional upper gastrointestinal disorder that has not previously been well described in a large patient group. Aims : To describe the initial evaluation of patients who presented with symptoms of aerophagia at a tertiary medical centre. Methods : A computerized search was used to identify all patients who were diagnosed with aerophagia at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester between 1996 and 2003 ( n = 79). Individual medical charts were abstracted for information on the demographics, clinical features, co‐morbid diagnoses, diagnostic workup and treatment. Information on presenting symptoms was also collected for a group of patients who were classified as having functional dyspepsia for comparison ( n = 121). Results : The median duration of symptoms in patients with aerophagia was 24 months. The most common symptoms were belching (56%), abdominal pain (19%), bloating (27%) and abdominal distension (19%). Patients with functional dyspepsia had a higher prevalence of reporting nausea, vomiting, early satiety, weight loss and abdominal pain (all P < 0.01, adjusting for age, gender and body mass index). Significantly more patients with aerophagia had anxiety (19%) than those with functional dyspepsia (6%, P < 0.01). Conclusions : Individuals with aerophagia experience prolonged upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Initial presenting symptoms appear to be distinctly different from those who have functional dyspepsia.