# ACG: Many Patients with Irritable Bowel Also Suffer from Dyspepsia



## Jeffrey Roberts

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/N...5256DC200472FFA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Title: ACG: Many Patients with Irritable Bowel Also Suffer from Dyspepsia "ACG: Many Patients with Irritable Bowel Also Suffer from Dyspepsia"By Charlene Laino BALTIMORE, MD -- October 17, 2003 -- Dual gastric disorders may be more common than previously believed, according to researchers who found that nearly three-fourths of people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) also have functional dyspepsia. Ashok K. Tuteja, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, United States, presented these findings here on October 13th at the 68th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology. About 1 in 10 Americans have chronic IBS, said Dr. Tuteja. It has been suggested that dyspepsia and IBS represent the same disease entity -- the so-called irritable gut. Dr. Tuteja and colleagues undertook a study to determine how common each syndrome is and to what extent they overlap. The researchers followed 723 people who filled out questionnaires asking about their upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms. Their ages ranged from 24 to 77 years, with a median of 47 years. For the study, IBS was defined as having continuous or recurrent symptoms for 3 months or more in the previous 12 months. Symptoms included abdominal pain or discomfort that is relieved with defecation or associated with changes in stool, hard or loose stool, straining or urgency and bloating. Functional dyspepsia was defined as having upper abdominal pain or discomfort for 6 months or more in the previous year. Nearly 15% of the patients reported symptoms of dyspepsia, 6.2% had ulcer-like dyspepsia, 6.1% had dysmotility-like dyspepsia, and 9.4% had reflux dyspepsia. Also, 8.9% of patients had IBS symptoms, and 6.2% reported both dyspepsia and IBS. Of the patients with IBS, 70% also had functional dyspepsia. Of the subjects with dyspepsia, 43% also had IBS, the study showed. The association between the two syndromes was much greater than expected by chance (kappa = 0.48), Dr. Tuteja reported. Both IBS and the overlap syndrome were more common in women, but these differences were not significant (P>0.27). There was no association between any of the disorders and alcohol or Aspirin use (P>0.19). The people who reported symptoms of both disorders or symptoms of IBS were much more likely to consult a physician about their problems than those with dyspepsia, the study showed. Thirty-three percent of those with both dyspepsia and IBS symptoms went to the doctor in the previous year, compared with 17% of patients with dyspepsia alone and 31% with IBS alone. "Physicians need to realise that many patients seeking care for gastrointestinal symptoms are likely to have more than one clinical disorder," Dr. Tuteja said. [Study title: Overlap of Functional Dyspepsia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in a Community Sample. Abstract 301] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright ï¿½ 2003 PSL Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PSL content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of PSL. PSL shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------All contents Copyright © 2003 PSL Consulting Group Inc.All rights reserved.


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## Renee V.

This article may very well apply to me. I have had GI problems since I was a kid. I have been diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer (at 17 via upper GI series), esophageal reflux (visible during upper GI series), gastritis (via endoscopy -- although the doctor I just went to said that was a wastebasket diagnosis that may or may not have been true), and IBS (after results of endoscopy ruled out ulcer, etc. and after review of symptoms and results of various meds). My various symptoms over the years have been/are excessive movement of the gut (dyspepsia?), bouts of diarrhea (occassionally - will last for days to weeks), pain-causing spasms of descending colon region (left side below ribs), what I though was gastritis related pain (sore to the touch in center of abdomen - feelings of inflammation-like pain in stomach), bloating, queasiness/nausea (without vomiting although at its worst I sometimes feel like I will), etc. I have been on Zantac, Carafate, Prilosec, Propulsid (hated it), Donnatal, Elavil, Levsinex, Dramamine, Librax, and probably others I have since forgotten. Zantac helped (especially when I had the ulcer) but since seems to be only somewhat effective these days. Donnatal may have helped a little, but left me drugged. Elavil helped but left me drugged. Levsinex helped me little if at all. Librax helped my severe IBS pain-causing spasms (no diarrhea) when I maxed out the dosage (8 pills/day) but also left me drugged. I take Imodium tabs when I have diarrhea, dramamine when I am queasy. I have long noticed a possible relation in timing between symptoms and the onset and occurrence of the monthly cycle (during and mid-cycle). A few months ago I tried going on the "pill" to see if it helped the IBS symptoms. I only stayed on it one month and quit. It seemed to do nothing appreciable at helping during that one month, which may not have been long enough to tell anything. I didn't like being on it, so I stopped after one month. The next month I had bleeding for 3 weeks straight and ended up taking progesterone for a week to stop it. Ever since then I have had worse (and different) GI symptoms before and during monthly. Now I have nausea (and dyspepsia?) for days before and on and off during (maybe like "morning sickness" nausea???). I don't know what brought that on (the "pill" or progesterone) or what will fix it (going back on the pill?). IBS symptoms can be disabling, but I think I hate the nausea worse (it makes me nervous and fearful to be "out" anywhere, including at work). Does anyone else have this array of symptoms (as opposed to just IBS diarrhea)? I'm especially interested in anyone else you experiences queasiness as well as the standard IBS symptoms. Has anyone else been told they have gastritis and if so what are their symptoms? Has anyone else noticed the "monthly" connection and if so what have they tried and what has and hasn't helped?


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## poet

I had dyspepsia before I had IBStom


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## Adam30

I was told I had dyspepsia before I was told I had IBS. Different doctors have told me different things. Some dismiss it saying it is caused by stress and anxiety. I have had it for 10 years. Some medication which alleviated my symptoms were Motilium and prepulsid but only for a few weeks. I have been on tons of medication but have not found anything that really helps me.


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## champ81

hey there I have had stomach problems for over a year now. I jsut went to the GI specialist yesterday and I have to have an Ultrasound of my gallbladder and an endoscopy. Personally from reading about IBS-D I really think that is what I have but hey I am not a doc. For a while certain things i would eat would give me D and i felt naseous alot. Then it got worse and worse.In the beginning back in sept my doctor prescribed me Protonix and that helped with the D but i still burb alot and i was never like that. Doesn't seem to matter what i eat. AFter taking protonix fora month i thought i was back to normal but about a month later the same thing started happening again so i took prilosec and that worked but then the same thing aobut a month later i had bad D and stomach is always upset. i am bakc on protonix and that is helping i can eat anything and not get D but i still have a lot of gas(i burp alot) and i still feel naseous. It is all just so very frustrating.so let me know what you think???kristy


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## Megz

i am almost 19 and afta an internal examination i was told i had ibs. i have been readin up on it because i feel ill all tha tyme and i am curious to know if it will eva go awaii. my doctor has only told me to take normacol but its feral! i dont like it. i suffer symptoms like; constipation or diaroeh lolz and i am very bloated, chronic painful cramping and i am extremely gassy.i hate feeling like this... how can i make it go awaii!


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## cadia

Renee wrote: Does anyone else have this array of symptoms (as opposed to just IBS diarrhea)? I'm especially interested in anyone else you experiences queasiness as well as the standard IBS symptoms. Has anyone else been told they have gastritis and if so what are their symptoms? Has anyone else noticed the "monthly" connection and if so what have they tried and what has and hasn't helped? Hi Renee My ibs case is a LONG history with a full array of symptoms you describe. I was told i had hiatel hernia and gastritis, during my monthly it gets worse so their is a connection. Also a new symptom appeared, now when i have an ibs attack of D, in the first "phase" of it i get queasy and sometimes throw up. I have yet to figure this one out but my symptoms are more complicated and severely different since they just resurfaced full blown after 16 months <9 months of pregnancy and 7 months later my ibs has started to come back.So..I yet again on the verge of tears find myself back at the support group here that helped me much long ago looking for more answers....as we all are.I have to say this wouldn;t nearly be as bad if it weren't for the spasming pain, if there was only some way of taking some kind of fast acting pain relief during an ibs attack along with an antispasmotic. Does anyone know of anyone that has pain all the time due to ibs that has or is on a fast acting pain relief med?


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## melbel04

Wow, I have IBS and then got dyspepsia, thanks for the article jeff!


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## Tere24

I was diagnosed at 18 with IBS. I was diagnosed at 35 with Hiatal hernia and reflux. I have noticed a definite correlation between my menstral cycle and my symptoms. I feel mild mental confusion and mild nausea around the time of my period. I also notice symptoms when I sleep in too late in the A.M. Anyone else have that symptom?


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## Melke23

I have almost similar symptoms as Cadia, always in spasmic pain, i take Bentyl for spasm but didnt help much. If any one have sugestion will be good. Mery X mass,


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## BertAPU

Hey Renee,Thanks for your post--I am a guy, but you described my IBS symptoms EXACTLY. I always wondered if I was the only one that had the debiliation nausea/queasiness. I have tried most of the drugs you have taken as well. You are right, they only work so well. However, I learned (by chance) that pineapple makes the dyspepsia and reflux like a NIGHTMARE for me for days. I see a Gastroenterologist in a week or so and I will ask him about these symptoms as well. However, the nausea has gone away in the last two months--but I don't know why.I also dealing with CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) symptoms which I often find worse than the IBS!


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## whopperjunior

I am a 23 year old girl and I have been suffering IBS and dispepsia severely for the last 6 months. Oh my god im so relieved to see there's others going through this same frustrating problem. what I'm most afraid of is nausea, it comes and goes, some weeks it's good, some it's bad and yeah it doesn't seem to matter how healthy I eat, my stomach still reacts. Im diagnosed with chronic gastritis. What irritates me the most is when doctors or other people dismiss is it as something related to stress and they just say, you need to relax, or they say oh come on it's nothing. Well it is to me, it has severely impaired my life and it's driven me to tears to many times. I feel like I'm being weighed down, no matter how many things I wanna do, it always comes back. I can't live a normal life cause I always feel sick. They argue I feel sick because I'm depressed, well I beg to differ, I get depressed BECAUSE i get sick first. I have to say I haven't really tried any maintenance drugs or anything, but the treatment for the gastritis bug helicobacter pylori only made me feel worst and evn when they prescribed acid restraining drugs for the following two weeks I still felt bad. I don't want to keep going to the doctor I'm terrified of taking pills because I feel it's gonna give me nausea, it's like this hole you can never come out of.


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## 22519

This is probably one of the most helpful threads for me! I have nausea all the time. I was taking Zofran for it but it stopped working so now I'm taking Compazine. It has totally affected my quality of life. I can't work when I feel sick to my stomach. I have vomited before and like someone else said, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to which foods trigger my symptoms (coffee is the only consistent one). I also have clinical depression and I hate taking my pills. I feel nauseous when it's time to take them and so sometimes I don't take them which is really bad for someone like me.I really related to feeling brushed off by doctors. I have seen many and I'm so annoyed! I'm seeing an acupuncturist now (only had 1 session) and I hope it helps. In the meanwhile, I just keep trying to learn more.To whomoever mentioned Chrontic Fatigue - IBS also causes fatigue...it certainly has for me...killing my social life. I hate that this illness is called "irritable bowel syndrom' - it is so much more than just irritated!!!!Oh, and I have gastritis too. I had an endoscopy done and no ulcer. All the antacids did nothing to help and then I learned that IBS can contribute.Thank God for this website and group.


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## 22519

This is probably one of the most helpful threads for me! I have nausea all the time. I was taking Zofran for it but it stopped working so now I'm taking Compazine. It has totally affected my quality of life. I can't work when I feel sick to my stomach. I have vomited before and like someone else said, there doesn't


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