Upper gastrointestinal symptoms in a US national sample of adults with diabetes

Background: Individuals with diabetes may be particularly susceptible to mo tility-related upper gastrointestinal (UGI) symptoms such as abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating, early satiety, nausea, and vomiting. We estimated the prevalence of UGI symptoms in a population-based sample of individuals with diabetes and determined whether cases and population controls differe d in prevalence of UGI symptoms and in symptom features. Methods: Individua ls with diabetes (n = 483) and matched controls (n = 422) were recruited fr om a prior U.S. national health survey for a telephone interview on UGI sym ptoms, To confirm self-reported diabetes status, cases provided information on clinical management measures. Subjects were asked about UGI symptoms in the month before interview. Affirmative responses to initial questions tri ggered detailed questions about symptom frequency. timing, duration, and se verity. Differences between casts and controls were evaluated. Results: Cas es not only had a significantly (P < 0.05) higher overall prevalence of one ol more UGI symptoms in the past month (50%) than controls (38%). but they also reported a significantly greater number of UGI symptoms than controls . Almost 10% of cases reported three or more UGI symptoms in the past month compared with 2% of control,. Our study also identified UGI symptom featur es that were more relevant to cases and showed that one UGI symptom, heartb urn, co-occurred significantly more often with UGI symptoms in cases than i n controls. Conclusions: Upper GI symptoms are common in individuals with d iabetes and more prevalent th;ln in controls. The symptoms are non-specific and may reflect disruptions in motility or perception.