Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Type 2 Diabetic Patients and its Association with Glycemic Control and Duration of Diabetes

Long-standing uncontrolled type 2 DM may affect the motility and function of the gastrointestinal (GI) system, throughout the GI tract, from the esophagus to the anorectal region. This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of GI symptoms in type 2 DM patients and its association to age, sex, glycemic control and duration of diabetes.

This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 350 adult type 2 DM patients, selected with sequential sampling from the Ahvaz Diabetes Research Center Clinic in 2010. Data were collected by a questionnaires and analyzed using independent t-test and Chi-score with SPSS version18.

Patient mean age was 56 ± 11 years, and the prevalence of GI symptoms was 67%. The most prevalent GI symptoms were constipation (43%), bloating (35%) and regurgitation (31%). Prevalence of GI symptoms was related to duration of diabetes (P<0.001). Higher levels of fasting plasma glucose increased the prevalence of GI symptoms (P=0.003), which were significantly higher in females than in males (P<0.001), and also in older patients (P=0.003). There was no association between prevalence of GI symptoms and levels of HbA1C or BMI.

Prevalence of GI symptoms in type 2 DM was 67%, the most prevalent being constipation, bloating and regurgitation. There was significant association between prevalence of GI symptoms and acute glycemic control (FBS), duration of type 2 diabetes, female gender and age.