Clinical outcome of disorders of gut‐brain interaction in secondary care: A longitudinal study

Real-world data on the outcome of routine treatment for disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) in secondary care are lacking.A longitudinal study of consecutive adult patients with various DGBI attending this institution's gastroenterology clinic was conducted. Following 2 years of treatment, the proportion of patients with symptom improvement, details of clinical therapy, factors associated with and the impact of 'no symptom improvement' were determined.A total of 289 patients (median age 68 years; 64.7% females; 28.4% irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), 20.1% functional dyspepsia (FD), 8.7% functional constipation (FC), 42.9% overlap syndrome) were recruited. After 2 years, 66.1% patients reported symptom improvement. Patients with overlap syndrome were less likely to have symptomatic improvement compared to those with a single DGBI (Overlap 55.6% vs IBS 74.4% vs FD 72.4% vs FC 76.0%, p = 0.014). Reassurance was associated with symptom improvement (p < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, overlap syndrome remained significantly associated with a poorer outcome (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.22-4.25, p = 0.010), while providing reassurance was associated with a positive outcome (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.16-0.56, p < 0.001). Only 25.6% and 14.9% of patients were referred for a low FODMAP diet and psychiatric intervention respectively. DGBI patients who had 'no improvement' were more likely to seek further GI consultations and had more work absenteeism.Two-thirds of DGBI patients in secondary care showed symptom improvement. Patients who were reassured had better symptom improvement, while those with an overlap syndrome were associated with a poorer outcome, resulting in greater healthcare consultation and work absenteeism.