title: The spectra, symptom profiles and overlap of Rome III functional gastrointestinal disorders in a tertiary center in South China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most previous studies exploring the overlap of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) focus on the overlap between functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In this study, we aimed to explore the spectra, symptom profiles and overlap of all FGID using the validated Chinese version of the Rome III questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive newly diagnosed FGID patients who were admitted to the Outpatient Gastroenterology Clinic from 10 May to 10 September 2012 were recruited in the study. All the patients complained of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms for at least 3 months with a symptom onset of at least 6 months before diagnosis after excluded organic diseases. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were asked to complete the scoring algorithm for the Rome III integrated questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 350 eligible patients, 302 (86.3%) returned completed questionnaires. A total of six major domains including 17 disorders were diagnosed. The four most prevalent FGID were FD (54.6%), IBS (40.7%), unspecified functional bowel disorder (13.9%) and functional constipation (12.6%). The three most prevalent symptoms in FGID were abdominal pain (66.2%), loose stool (58.3%) and abdominal bloating/distension (56.3%). Of the 302 patients, 152 (50.3%) had one to five overlapping FGID. Only functional bloating had no overlap. Six patients had five overlapping FGID simultaneously. In all, 63 patients had overlapping FD and IBS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provided the detailed spectra and symptom profiles for all FGID. Overlapping FGID are common in China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Li Shou
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Xiao Rong
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Min Hu
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003248:Constipation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: China; epidemiology; functional dyspepsia; functional gastrointestinal disorders; irritable bowel syndrome; overlap