Govindasamy Vaisnavy, Mashayekhi Yashar, Khan Marium Nadeem, Olakunori-Ovaga Oluwaronke Joan, Kumar Naresh, Zafar Mahnoor, Mustafa Sufyan, Soman Muhammad, Akbar Muhammad Bilal, Arif Timsal, Karim Asiya, Murtaza Muhammad Murad, Bano Sher
Medicine, South Tees NHS Trust, Middlesbrough, GBR.
Medicine, Leicester University Hospital, Leicester, GBR.
Cureus. 2025 May 25;17(5):e84810. doi: 10.7759/cureus.84810. eCollection 2025 May.
Background Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder characterized by chronic upper abdominal symptoms, such as epigastric pain, burning, postprandial fullness, or early satiation, in the absence of structural abnormalities, as defined by the Rome IV criteria. Anxiety, together with other psychological factors, is now understood to intensify symptoms while degrading the quality of life for patients with FD. Methods A cross-sectional correlational study involving 300 FD participants was performed in a gastroenterology outpatient clinic located in Islamabad. Participants were diagnosed with FD using the Rome IV criteria. The research collected data through self-report scales to assess gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety levels, and quality of life. Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) measured anxiety symptoms while patients were evaluated for gastrointestinal symptoms through the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and Short Form Nepean Dyspepsia Index (SF-NDI). Statistical analyses included Pearson correlation, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, and multiple regression. Results Out of the 300 participants, 153 were females (51%), 118 were males (39%), 29 did not disclose their gender (10%), and 111 were aged between 18 and 25 years (37%). A majority of self-administer drugs for FD, with 59% (n = 178) of the respondents and 56% (n = 167) having a diagnosed psychological condition. Pearson correlation analyses revealed that GSRS and SF-NDI correlation coefficient was significant and equal to 0.789 and the correlation coefficient of GSRS and GAD-7 was 0.703 the correlation coefficient of SF-NDI and GAD-7 scores was 0.631 and p-value was significant < 0.001 for all the coefficients while checking the association between gastrointestinal and dyspeptic symptoms and quality of life as well as anxiety. Moreover, participants who used medications had significantly higher perceived symptom severity and anxiety levels than participants who did not use medication (t = 7.47, p < 0.001) with a mean GSRS score of 41.8 (SD = 9.3, n = 177) and a mean GAD-7 score of 21.8 (SD = 3.8) for the medication users, and a mean GSRS score of 35.3 (SD = 16.4, n = 123) and a mean GAD-7 score of 16.9 (SD = 7). In a multiple regression model, both gastrointestinal symptoms with a coefficient of 0.543 (t = 3.218; p≤ 0.01) and dyspeptic symptoms with a coefficient of 0.203 (t = 1.695; p≤ 0.01) were correlated with anxiety, so it can be assumed that severity of the symptoms has an impact on psychological well-being. Conclusion Findings indicate a significant association between gastrointestinal symptoms and anxiety in FD patients, highlighting the need for integrated gastroenterological and psychological care. FD physicians should provide routine anxiety screenings as part of their patient management to enhance both treatment effects and patient life quality.
背景 功能性消化不良（FD）是一种常见的胃肠道疾病，其特征为慢性上腹部症状，如胃痛、烧灼感、餐后饱胀或早饱，且根据罗马IV标准，不存在结构异常。目前认为，焦虑与其他心理因素一起会加重FD患者的症状，同时降低其生活质量。方法 在位于伊斯兰堡的一家胃肠病门诊诊所对300名FD参与者进行了一项横断面相关性研究。参与者根据罗马IV标准被诊断为FD。该研究通过自我报告量表收集数据，以评估胃肠道症状、焦虑水平和生活质量。广泛性焦虑障碍-7（GAD-7）量表用于测量焦虑症状，同时通过胃肠道症状评定量表（GSRS）和短式内皮消化不良指数（SF-NDI）对患者的胃肠道症状进行评估。统计分析包括Pearson相关性分析、t检验、单因素方差分析、卡方检验和多元回归分析。结果 在300名参与者中，153名是女性（51%），118名是男性（39%），29名未透露性别（10%），111名年龄在18至25岁之间（37%）。大多数FD患者自行用药，59%（n = 178）的受访者和56%（n = 167）被诊断患有心理疾病。Pearson相关性分析显示，GSRS与SF-NDI的相关系数显著，等于0.789，GSRS与GAD-7的相关系数为0.703，SF-NDI与GAD-7评分的相关系数为0.631，在检查胃肠道和消化不良症状与生活质量以及焦虑之间的关联时，所有系数的p值均显著<0.001。此外，使用药物的参与者的症状严重程度和焦虑水平明显高于未使用药物的参与者（t = 7.47，p < 0.001），药物使用者的GSRS平均评分为41.8（标准差 = 9.3，n = 177），GAD-7平均评分为21.8（标准差 = 3.8），未使用药物者的GSRS平均评分为35.3（标准差 = 16.4，n = 123），GAD-7平均评分为16.9（标准差 = 7）。在多元回归模型中，胃肠道症状系数为0.543（t = 3.218；p≤0.01）和消化不良症状系数为0.203（t = 1.695；p≤0.01）均与焦虑相关，因此可以认为症状的严重程度会影响心理健康。结论 研究结果表明FD患者的胃肠道症状与焦虑之间存在显著关联，突出了综合胃肠病学和心理护理的必要性。FD医生应在患者管理中进行常规焦虑筛查，以提高治疗效果和患者生活质量。
