Frequency of Overlap between Functional Dyspepsia and Functional Bowel Disorder in Clinical Settings

Open Access

Abstract

Introduction: Disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) are one of the leading cause to visit gastroenterologists globally characterized by clusters of chronic gastrointestinal symptoms without an identifiable structural or biochemical abnormality. Functional dyspepsia (FD) and functional bowel disorders (FBD), including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional constipation, and functional diarrhea, represent major clinical phenotypes of DGBI. This study aimed to determine the frequency of overlap between functional dyspepsia and functional bowel disorders in clinical settings. Methods & Materials: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2023 to October 2023 at National Gastroliver Institute and Hospital, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Patients attending the out-patient department of medical gastroenterology in NGLIH, having evidence to support a diagnosis of DGBI according to the Rome IV diagnostic criteria were included in the study. Consecutive sampling was used to enroll 595 patients among 2,227 out-door patients after obtaining informed written consent, using the Bengali version of the Rome IV questionnaire along with a structured data collection form. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 26.0. Results: The study found that DGBIs were common among the study participants, with functional bowel disorders (FBD) being the most frequent regional category and functional dyspepsia (FD) the most common individual diagnosis. Substantial overlap between FD and FBD was observed, particularly FD-IBS (14.6%), followed by FD-functional constipation (11.3%) and FD-functional diarrhea (9.1%). Conclusion: DGBIs were frequently observed in this clinical cohort, with functional bowel disorders representing the predominant regional category and functional dyspepsia being the most common individual diagnosis. Considerable overlap was identified between FD and functional bowel disorders, most notably FD-IBS (14.6%), followed by FD-functional constipation (11.3%) and FD-functional diarrhea (9.1%). These overlapping presentations may make symptom interpretation more challenging, contribute to suboptimal treatment responses, and ultimately increase patient dissatisfaction.