Is there a difference between patients with functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome in headache manifestation?

Abstract

Introduction/Objective. The objective was to explore whether there is a difference in headache manifestation and level of its intensity in patients with functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome. Methods. We assessed a cohort of 420 participants out of which 300 satisfied the recruiting criterion of the presence of irritable bowel syndrome (148) or functional dyspepsia (152). Diagnoses of irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia were made according to Rome IV criteria. Intensity of headaches was estimated in irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia participants using visual analog scale. All the patients underwent subsequent testing by Hamilton’s Depression Inventory and anxiety scale. Results. Our results showed that males with headaches are more susceptible to functional dyspepsia, statistical significance in the group of patients with irritable bowel syndrome with high scores on the visual analog scales, in relation to Hamilton’s anxiety scores in the group of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Gender and visual analogue scale scores were determinants to show whether the patient falls within the group of functional dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome. Scores of visual analogue scale where the patient felt the best was statistically borderline (p = 0.061) and its higher values pinpointed which of those patients fall into irritable bowel syndrome group. Conclusion. Gender and level of headache intensity as a extraintestinal manifestation showed to be the main variables to make a difference between patients with functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome where irritable bowel syndrome had higher scores and greater dominance in differential diagnosis if the headache was determining variable.

Keywords

• headaches
• functional dyspepsia
• irritable bowel syndrome