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. 2023 Jun;35(6):e14574.
doi: 10.1111/nmo.14574. Epub 2023 Apr 5.

The national prevalence of disorders of gut brain interaction in the United Kingdom in comparison to their worldwide prevalence: Results from the Rome foundation global epidemiology study

Hussain Jaafari  1   2 , Lesley A Houghton  3   4 , Robert M West  1 , Anurag Agrawal  5 , Imran Aziz  6 , Christopher J Black  3 , Maura Corsetti  7   8 , Farag Shuweihdi  1 , Maria Eugenicos  9 , Peter A Paine  10   11 , Alexander C Ford  3 , Peter J Whorwell  11   12 , Shrikant I Bangdiwala  13 , Olafur S Palsson  14 , Ami D Sperber  15 , Dipesh H Vasant  11   12
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Free article

The national prevalence of disorders of gut brain interaction in the United Kingdom in comparison to their worldwide prevalence: Results from the Rome foundation global epidemiology study

Hussain Jaafari et al. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2023 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Background: There are minimal epidemiological data comparing the burden of disorders of gut brain interaction (DGBI) in the UK with other countries. We compared the prevalence of DGBI in the UK with other countries that participated in the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study (RFGES) online.

Methods: Participants from 26 countries completed the RFGES survey online including the Rome IV diagnostic questionnaire and an in-depth supplemental questionnaire with questions about dietary habits. UK sociodemographic and prevalence data were compared with the other 25 countries pooled together.

Key results: The proportion of participants with at least one DGBI was lower in UK participants compared with in the other 25 countries (37.6% 95% CI 35.5%-39.7% vs. 41.2%; 95% CI 40.8%-41.6%, p = 0.001). The UK prevalence of 14 of 22 Rome IV DGBI, including irritable bowel syndrome (4.3%) and functional dyspepsia (6.8%), was similar to the other countries. Fecal incontinence, opioid-induced constipation, chronic nausea and vomiting, and cannabinoid hyperemesis (p < 0.05) were more prevalent in the UK. Cyclic vomiting, functional constipation, unspecified functional bowel disorder, and proctalgia fugax (p < 0.05) were more prevalent in the other 25 countries. Diet in the UK population consisted of higher consumption of meat and milk (p < 0.001), and lower consumption of rice, fruit, eggs, tofu, pasta, vegetables/legumes, and fish (p < 0.001).

Conclusions and inferences: The prevalence and burden of DGBI is consistently high in the UK and in the rest of the world. Opioid prescribing, cultural, dietary, and lifestyle factors may contribute to differences in the prevalence of some DGBI between the UK and other countries.

Keywords: disorders of gut brain interaction; epidemiology; functional dyspepsia; irritable bowel syndrome; quality of life.

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References

REFERENCES

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    1. Sperber AD, Freud T, Abu-Freha N, et al. Epidemiology of disorders of gut-brain interaction in Israel: results from the Rome foundation global epidemiology study. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2022;34:e14323.
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