Prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of dyspepsia diagnosed with Rome III criteria at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Dyspepsia is a common symptom worldwide and has been reported to account for a considerable proportion of general practice and gastroenterology consultation. It could be subclassified as structural, functional, or uninvestigated dyspepsia. Uninvestigated dyspepsia refers to dyspeptic symptoms in persons whom no diagnostic investigations have been performed. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of patients with Rome III features of dyspepsia. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study where all patients who presented with any of the Rome III features of dyspepsia and had no diagnostic investigations done to ascertain the cause of the dyspepsia during the study period were recruited as test subjects. The controls were age- and sex-matched asymptomatic hospital staff. Results: A total of 130 test subjects and 65 controls were recruited and used for the data analysis. More females were recruited among the test subjects than males with a ratio of 1.4:1, respectively. The most common age group was the fifth decade of life, and the proportion of patients with symptoms of dyspepsia thereafter reduced with increasing age. Epigastric pain (95.4%) was the most prevalent feature of dyspepsia. Early satiety accounted for 15.4%, while the least prevalent was postprandial distress. Heartburn was the most common symptom associated with Rome III features of dyspepsia. Conclusion: Epigastric pain was found to be the most prevalent Rome III feature of dyspepsia, while heartburn is the most associated symptom.