PREVALENCE OF GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS IN DIABETIC-PATIENTS AND NONDIABETIC SUBJECTS

To determine the frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms in diabetic pa tients, 190 patients, consecutively referred to the Diabetes Research Institute, reported their gastrointestinal symptoms on a standardized symptom list. One hundred and eighty non-diabetic healthy subjects ser ved as (matched) controls. Finally, 75 patients with Type 1 (insulin-d ependent) diabetes mellitus (33 male, 43 female; age 34, 1 (18-60) yrs , diabetes duration: 11,1 (0,3-41) yrs) and 68 patients with Type 2 (n on-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (31 male, 37 female, age: 61,4 (37-88) yrs, diabetes duration: 10,7 (0,3-40) yrs) were studied and c ompared with two cohorts of controls of the same size. There were no d ifferences in prevalence of symptoms referrable to the upper and lower Gl-tract in type 1 diabetic patients as compared with controls. Among patients with type 2 diabetes the main gastrointestinal complaint was constipation (22,1% vs 10,3%; p<0.05). Upper gastrointestinal symptom s were also more frequent among Type 2 diabetic subjects (nausea 11,8% vs 2,9%, p<0.05). There was a tendency for an increased symptom preva lence with higher age in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Presence of peripheral neuropathy was associated with a higher symptom prevalence in type 1 diabetes. After stratification, diabetes duration and glycae mic control (HbA1c) did not influence the frequency of symptoms. Thus, gastrointestinal symptoms occur frequently among both diabetic patien ts and non-diabetic subjects. However, significant differences were fo und only in type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, the comrnonest sy mptom being constipation. These findings support the need of a nondiab etic control group in epidemiological studies evaluating symptom preva lence in diabetes mellitus.