EATING PATTERNS IN FUNCTIONAL DYSPEPSIA - A CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Objective: To determine whether eating patterns differ between patient s with endoscopically determined functional dyspepsia and non-dyspepti c controls. Design: Case-control study (50 per group). A seven-day rec ord of food consumption with time of food. consumption was determined. Setting: Endoscopy clinic, Sr. James' Hospital and the Clinical Nutri tion Laboratory at the Trinity College Medical School. Main outcome me asures: Meal eating pattern and their temporal distribution; consumpti on of food categories and their temporal distribution; data for all su bjects and for employed vs unemployed subjects. Results: There was no evidence to suggest that the pattern of food and meal intake throughou t the daf was in any way influenced by endoscopically determined funct ional dyspepsia. Conclusion: The widely held belief that patients with functional dyspepsia eat differently to healthy controls to relieve o r prevent symptoms of dyspepsia is not supported by these findings.