Gastric symptoms and quality of life

Scientific research and essays

Digestive symptoms are the most common and frequent symptoms being reported. It is difficult to measure their effects on quality of life, as they varied by age and gender. Therefore, our aim was to determine the effect of gastric symptoms on quality of life and to explore their relationship with age and gender. A secondary analysis of an original pragmatic randomized trial with repeated measurements was conducted in gastroenterology clinic in UK from 28 July 2006 to 31 January 2007 on some 302 patients presenting with any gastric complaint, following the selection criteria. Gastric symptom was determined by GSRQ (Gastro intestinal Symptom Rating Questionnaire) and quality of life by EQ5D (Euroqol 5 dimension scale) Profile and VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) questionnaires. The results showed negative correlation between gastric symptoms (components) and quality of life (p<0.05) except for lower abdominal symptoms and VAS (p>0.05). The results also showed that age has statistically insignificant negative relationship with EQ5D Profile and VAS. Males have good quality of life (p<0.05) than females. The aforementioned results showed increase in gastric symptoms is associated with poor quality of life. In the light of the aforementioned results, it would be recommended that 'primary care physicians should consider patient demographics of age and gender when focusing on diagnosing, implementing treatment and management plans and advising patients presenting with gastric symptoms. This will not only improve the clinical outcomes but will also increase the patient satisfaction.

EVALUATION OF THE FOOD HABITS OF PATIENTS WITH GASTRITIS AND/OR RELATED SYMPTOMS ASSISTED AT A NUTRITION CLINIC ACCREDITED BY THE UNITED HEALTH SYSTEM (Atena Editora), 2023

Introduction: Gastritis is characterized by histological alterations of the gastric mucosa where an infiltrate of inflammatory cells is observed. This is the most common injury that affects the stomach. Inflammation can be acute or chronic, with the second form being more frequent. Gastric symptoms can be defined by a set of complaints related to the gastrointestinal tract such as heartburn, pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting, among others, whose onset or worsening may be related to several factors. Inadequate nutrition is one of the contributing factors for the development of gastritis or worsening of gastric symptoms, similar to the use of some medications, lifestyle and stress. Method: We evaluated the eating habits of patients diagnosed with gastritis and/or related symptoms who were treated at a nutrition clinic of the Unified Health System, through a retrospective review of the medical records of 133 patients from June 2011 to June 2016, which satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The 24-hour Food Recall and the Food Frequency Questionnaire were analyzed. Results: The most prevalent symptom was heartburn, present in 19.54% of patients aged 33 to 47 years. The comorbidity most frequently related to gastric discomfort was obesity, in patients aged 18 to 32 years, 20.1%. Regarding diet, most patients had habits classified as inadequate. The verified consumption pattern was sugars in 34.97%, fats in 23.3%, industrialized in 15, 73% and only 11.27% had their diet classified as adequate. It is possible to state that inadequate nutrition contributes to the development and/or maintenance of gastritis and related symptoms.

European Journal of Surgery, 2003

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in how gastrointestinal symptoms relate to and impact on patients' healthrelated quality of life. This is particularly the case for functional gastrointestinal disorders that are characterized by a lack of biological markers for disease activity. There is only a slight variation in the type of gastrointestinal symptoms reported with different gastrointestinal disorders, and patients with dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome, for example, often describe a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms with considerable overlap between them. The same pattern has been observed in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, even though heartburn and acid regurgitation are easier to distinguish from other gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly in patients in whom objective reflux is verified. Most aspects of health-related quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal disorders are compromised, irrespective of diagnosis. Patients with functional disorders seem, if anything, to display more emotional distress than those with organic disorders. Given the considerable overlap between different gastrointestinal symptom clusters, it is not surprising that these conditions have a similar impact in terms of perceived health status and quality of life. The key factors associated with the degree of perceived distress and dysfunction relate to disease severity and the presence of abdominal pain symptoms.

Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 2006

Questionnaires are widely used instruments to monitor gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. However, few of these questionnaires have been formally evaluated. We sought to evaluate our GI symptoms questionnaire in terms of clarity and reproducibility. Primary care patients referred for open access Helicobacter pylori urea breath testing reported GI symptoms (type + severity) and demographic information by written questionnaire. In an interview, patients gave a personal description of the meaning of the GI symptoms on the questionnaire. Patients' descriptions of GI symptoms were compared with current definitions. Symptom severity scores were compared before and after, interview versus questionnaire. Of the 45 patients included, 19 (42%) described all symptoms correctly, whereas 17 (38%) described one symptom incorrectly. None of the patients made more than three mistakes. Regurgitation was the most common incorrectly described symptom (16 patients [36%]), whereas the other individual symptoms were well explained. Symptom severities before the interview, after the interview and reported by questionnaire (mean value ± SEM) were 2.1 ± 0.2, 2.1 ± 0.2, and 1.5 ± 0.2 points on a 7-point Likert scale (0-6), respectively. Mean severity reported by interview (95% CI) was 1.4 (1.3-1.5) times higher than reported by questionnaire (P < .05). In conclusion, the GI symptom questionnaire is understandable and has good reproducibility for measuring the presence of GI symptoms, although symptom severity is consistently rated higher when reported by interview.

BMJ Open, 2023

Introduction The Gastric Alimetry platform offers a multimodal assessment of gastric function through body surface gastric mapping (BSGM) and concurrent symptomtracking via a validated App. We aim to perform a longitudinal cohort study to examine the impact of Gastric Alimetry, and changes in clinical management on patient symptoms, quality of life and psychological health. Methods and analysis This is a prospective multicentre longitudinal observational cohort study of participants with chronic gastroduodenal symptoms. Consecutive participants undergoing Gastric Alimetry will be invited to participate. Quality of life will be assessed via EuroQol-5D and the Patient Assessment of Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders-Quality of Life score. Gastrointestinal symptoms will be assessed via the Patient Assessment of Upper Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity index, and the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index. Psychometrics will be assessed, including anxiety via the General Anxiety Disorder-7, perceived stress using the Perceived Stress Scale 4, and depression via the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. Clinical parameters including diagnoses, investigations and treatments (medication and procedures) will also be captured. Assessments will be made the week after the BSGM test, at 30 days, 90 days, 180 days and 360 days thereafter. The primary outcome is feasibility of longitudinal follow-up of a cohort that have undergone Gastric Alimetry testing; from which patients' continuum of care can be characterised. Secondary outcomes include changes in patient-reported symptoms, quality of life and psychometrics (anxiety, stress and depression). Inferential causal analyses will be performed at the within patient level to explore causal associations between treatment changes and clinical outcomes. The impact of Gastric Alimetry on clinical management will also be captured. Ethics and dissemination The protocol has been approved in Aotearoa New Zealand by the Auckland Health Research Ethics Committee. Results will be submitted for conference presentation and peer-reviewed publication.