Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Obese Patients. The Importance of the Enrollment Source.

Background: Obesity is frequently associated to many functional gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in obese patients, according to their body mass index and their recruitment source.

Methods: Five hundred ninety-six obese patients (body mass index (BMI) > 30) filled out a standard questionnaire in order to evaluate the presence of functional gastrointestinal disorders. They were divided into four groups according to the Rome III criteria and their BMI: OF, obese patients from functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) enrollment; OO, obese patients from obesity management enrollment; MF, morbid obesity patients from FGID enrollment; and MO, morbid obesity patients from obesity management enrollment. Data analysis was performed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results: Out of the 596 obese patients included in the present study, 183 (33 %) were complaining of FGIDs, while 413 (67 %) were consulting for obesity management. Compared to the OF group, the OO patients had a higher prevalence of females (P = 0.008) and a younger age (P < 0.001). Clinically, they reported a lower incidence of regurgitation (P = 0.044), of chest pain (P = 0.004), of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS; P = 0.035), and of functional diarrhea (P = 0.030). Compared to the MF group, the MO patients had an older age (P = 0.001), a higher BMI (P = 0.013), and clinically by a high frequency of functional dyspepsia (P = 0.006). There were symptoms that had similar prevalence in all groups (OF, OO, MF, MO) such as epigastric pain, postprandial distress, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain soiling, or nonspecific anorectal disorders.

Conclusions: This study has shown that the recruitment source accounted for marked and specific differences in the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders in obesity and morbid obesity. Symptoms with similar prevalence in all groups should be systematically detected in all patients.