Relationship between Symptoms and Gastric Emptying of Solids in Functional Dyspepsia

OBJECTIVE: Functional dyspepsia is a heterogeneous disorder and different pathophysiological mechanisms underlie its symptom patterns. This study investigated the relationship between dyspepsia symptoms and overall and proximal gastric emptying in patients with functional dyspepsia. METHODS: A total of 93 patients with functional dyspepsia and 32 healthy subjects were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Prevalence and severity of eight dyspepsia symptoms were recorded. Gastric emptying was measured using single photon emission computed tomography scanning. RESULTS: Overall and proximal gastric emptying were delayed in 47.3% (44/93) and 46.2% (43/93) of the patients, respectively. Logistic regression analyses showed that presence of nausea was associated with delayed proximal gastric emptying (odds ratio 4.951; 95% confidence interval 1.321, 18.558). There were no significant differences between normal and delayed overall gastric emptying according to presence of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Presence of nausea might indicate delayed gastric emptying of the proximal stomach. Promotion of proximal gastric emptying may constitute an effective therapy for patients with functional dyspepsia who report nausea as the dominant symptom.