Dyspeptic Symptoms in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Background: Nearly half of the patients with diabetes experience diabetic gastroparesis. Some diabetic patients present with complaints of epigastric pain, vomiting, nausea, or postprandial fullness, however only a few have severe symptoms. Objective: To determine the frequency of dyspepsia among T2DM patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in Ziauddin Hospital Kemari Branch, Karachi, Pakistan after acquiring ethical approval from the hospital ethics committee. Short-Form Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire (SF-LDQ) was used to identify the presence of dyspepsia. Based on the sum of the frequency of symptoms, a cut-off value of 4 and above was used for the presence of dyspepsia. Results: A total of 368 patients were included in the study with a median age of 68.6 ± 14.2 years. The majority were females (62.8%). The mean duration of diabetes was 15 ± 10.4 years. The frequency of indigestion, heartburn, regurgitation, and nausea was 35.3%, 30.7%, 31.5%, and 11.4% respectively. Out of 368, 168 (45.7%) patients were found to have dyspepsia. The risk of dyspepsia was significantly lower among younger age, male gender, and patients having controlled glycemic status, patients doing physical activity twice a week, taking all three meals on time, and always having their breakfast early. The odds of having dyspepsia were higher among those who are currently and formerly addicted to alcohol, current and former smokers, having comorbidity, consuming <8 glasses of water per day, and those who were always or sometimes sleeping within two hours of having dinner. Conclusion: This study analyzed that dyspeptic symptoms including indigestion, heartburn, and regurgitation were common in T2DM patients, and about half of these patients had dyspepsia which was common among patients with poor glycemic control and those with unhealthy lifestyles.