The Relationship between Some Demographic Characteristics and Clinical Symptoms in Patients with Gastrointestinal Diseases

Psychosomatic medicine is a field of medical sciences concentrated on the effects of social, psychological and behavioral factors on human body. The relationship between some gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and psychiatric disorders has been previously investigated. However, little research has been conducted on the relation between GI symptoms of psychosomatic diseases and psychiatric disorders.

In this retrospective study, 1802 cases with GI diseases who referred to the psychosomatic clinic (Isfahan, Iran) during 2005-2010 were evaluated. An attempt was made to find correlations between GI symptoms of psychosomatic diseases and psychiatric disorders.

No significant relationships were found between GI symptoms and gender, educational level, and marital status. However, age and nausea were significantly correlated (P = 0.002). Anxiety was the most common psychiatric symptom with a frequency of 814. In addition, mood disorders were the most common disease in patients with GI symptoms. Moreover, the most prevalent mood disorder was major depression. On the other hand, abdominal pain was found to be significantly related with psychiatric disorders (P = 0.039).

Our results showed mood disorders to be the most common disorder in patients with GI diseases who referred to the psychosomatic clinic. Therefore, patients with medically unexplained GI symptoms are required to be evaluated for mood disorders, especially major depressive disorder.