Abstract

Background: It is unexplained why functional dyspepsia and gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) overlap more often than expected by chance. Post‐prandial distress syndrome has been linked to impaired gastric fundic accommodation which may induce increased transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxations and consequent GERD. Duodenal eosinophilia has been linked to functional dyspepsia and post‐prandial distress syndrome.

Aim: To identify if there is an association between duodenal eosinophilia in functional dyspepsia and symptoms of GERD and whether post‐prandial distress syndrome or epigastric pain syndrome are associated with new onset GERD.

Methods: Participants (n = 1000) were randomly selected from the national Swedish population register and surveyed by questionnaires and oesophagogastroduodenoscopy in 1999‐2001. All eligible subjects (n = 887) were invited to a follow‐up study in 2010 (response rate 79%). In a case‐control study of 213 subjects (functional dyspepsia vs healthy controls), histology from the duodenum was evaluated at baseline and the possible association of eosinophilia to new onset GERD symptoms was analysed.

Results: Functional dyspepsia (OR 7.6; 95% CI 2.93‐19.4, P < 0.001) and post‐prandial distress syndrome at baseline (OR 9.0, 95% CI 3.36‐24.0, P < 0.001) were associated with an increased risk of GERD at follow‐up. Eosinophilia in the second part of duodenum only was independently associated with an increased risk of GERD amongst those with functional dyspepsia (OR 4.2; 95% CI 1.2‐4.77, P = 0.024) and post‐prandial distress syndrome at baseline (OR 6.0; 95% CI 1.50‐23.6, P = 0.011), respectively.

Conclusions: Duodenal eosinophilia is associated with increased risk of GERD at 10‐year follow‐up in those with functional dyspepsia and post‐prandial distress syndrome at baseline. Duodenal eosinophilia may explain the link between GERD and functional dyspepsia, suggesting subsets of functional dyspepsia and GERD may be part of the same disease spectrum.