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. 2023 May 27;15(11):2501.
doi: 10.3390/nu15112501.

Gut-Brain Interaction Disorders and Anorexia Nervosa: Psychopathological Asset, Disgust, and Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Luna Carpinelli  1 , Giulia Savarese  1 , Biagio Pascale  1 , Walter Donato Milano  2 , Paola Iovino  1
Affiliations

Gut-Brain Interaction Disorders and Anorexia Nervosa: Psychopathological Asset, Disgust, and Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Luna Carpinelli et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are very common in subjects with eating disorders (EDs). This study aimed to (a) investigate the prevalence of gut-brain interaction disorders (DGBIs) in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients, according to ROME IV criteria; and (b) explore AN psychopathological assets and disgust that might impact GI symptoms.

Methods: Thirty-eight female patients consecutively diagnosed with untreated AN (age 19.32 ± 5.59) in an outpatient clinic devoted to EDs underwent Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Social Phobia Anxiety Scale (SPAS), Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), and Disgust Scale (DS) questionnaires. The presence of DGBIs was evaluated and GI symptoms were assessed using a standardized intensity-frequency questionnaire.

Results: A total of 94.7% of our sample met the diagnostic criteria for functional dyspepsia (FD), of which 88.8% presented the postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) subtype and 41.6% presented the epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) subtype. In addition, 52.6% of the sample met the diagnostic criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), while for functional constipation (FC), prevalence reached 7.9%. All participants presented a pathological score on the disgust scale. Significant correlations were found between several GI symptoms and psychopathological asset and disgust.

Conclusions: AN is a multifactorial disorder. It is necessary to implement studies with an integrated approach, taking into account DGBIs, as well as to monitor the emotional-cognitive structure that acts as a factor in maintaining the disorder.

Keywords: DGBI; ROME IV criteria; anorexia nervosa; body distortion; disgust.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of disgust in AN-DGBI. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): constipation and abdominal discomfort (IBS-C), diarrhea and abdominal discomfort (IBS-D), alternating loose stools and constipation with abdominal discomfort (IBS-mixed). Functional constipation (FC): postprandial distress syndrome (PDS), epigastric pain syndrome (EPS).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Median and interquartile range of the intensity–frequency score of upper and lower GI symptoms in AN patients.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation between early satiety and postprandial nausea symptoms and BUT_GSI, SPAS, and DISGUST scores.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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