Friday, March 29, 2024
News

Study reveals common, serious gut disorder is often misdiagnosed

   SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend    Print this Page   COMMENT

Boston (Massachusetts) | January 3, 2023 4:01:59 PM IST
Patients who regurgitate frequently but for no apparent reason may be suffering from rumination. Unfortunately, rumination is frequently misdiagnosed as other gastrointestinal conditions, which means that many patients may not receive timely treatment.

A new study published in Neurogastroenterology and Motility by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) describes this syndrome, how to distinguish it from other conditions, and how to treat it.

Rumination syndrome is a behavioral problem, in which patients effortlessly and repeatedly regurgitate food into their mouths while eating and sitting upright. It is a learned behavior that is classified as a disorder of the gut-brain interaction (DGBI). Many experts think that regurgitations develop as a habit involving an uncomfortable, mounting sensation or inner tension (similar to patients with tics) that results in contraction of the abdominal walls after eating. This pattern gets reinforced with positive associations (such as relief of anxiety and stress after regurgitation) as well as negative associations (such as the discomfort of trying to suppress the inner tension without regurgitating).

"This condition causes a lot of embarrassment and may stop people from eating with others," explains Trisha Satya Pasricha, MD, co-lead author with Helen Burton Murray, PhD, both of MGH's Division of Gastroenterology. "It is not well understood, and is often mistaken for other disorders."

One reason rumination symptoms are missed is because they overlap with other DGBIs, such as functional dyspepsia (stomach pain or indigestion) or gastroparesis, which is when patients feel nauseous and full after eating just a small amount. Patients may incorrectly describe their symptoms as reflux or vomiting. As a result, the condition may go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for a long period. That can lead to significant social constraint and possibly weight loss.

Pasricha and her colleagues screened 242 patients who were referred to specialists for gastric symptoms that could indicate they were experiencing rumination. The symptoms that brought these patients to a gastroenterologist included dyspepsia and gastroparesis.

Thirty-one of the 242 (12.8%) patients met criteria for rumination syndrome, which is determined using a gastric symptom scoring system. Almost half of those patients (48%) reported associated psychosocial impairment, meaning that they experienced difficulty in social situations because of their condition.

Comparing those patients with rumination and those without, there were no differences in race, gender, frequency of diabetes, or frequency of gastroparesis. "There is little demographically that distinguishes these patients other than their tendency to regurgitate when eating," says Pasricha. "They are not more likely to have a history of an eating disorder or weight problems."

However, the patients with rumination were more likely to also experience heartburn, particularly daytime symptoms. The researchers suggest that screening for heartburn and regurgitation could help identify more patients with this condition.

The treatment for rumination is behavioral and involves the practice of diaphragmatic, or deep, breathing. Two pilot trials have shown that this significantly improves gastroesophageal reflux. Comprehensive cognitive behavioral therapy for rumination syndrome (CBT-RS) is also recommended. CBT is an increasingly popular type of behavior therapy that helps people re-orient their thinking, teaching them new thought processes to replace old patterns that lead to self-harm and other poor outcomes. (ANI)

 
  LATEST COMMENTS ()
POST YOUR COMMENT
Comments Not Available
 
POST YOUR COMMENT
 
 
TRENDING TOPICS
 
 
CITY NEWS
MORE CITIES
 
 
 
MORE HEALTH NEWS
Study finds how childhood sedentariness ...
Longer genes are associated with ageing...
Dr. Dangs Lab aims to revolutionise heal...
Researchers find ways to reduce side eff...
Study gives insight into role of specifi...
Collaborative study between bariatric, t...
More...
 
INDIA WORLD ASIA
Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena releases first...
Jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhta...
Chennai: Three dead after false ceiling ...
'Three parties have allied directly...':...
AAP workers protesting against Kejriwal'...
TMC leader Mohua Moitra skips 3rd ED sum...
More...    
 
 Top Stories
8 people killed after pickup truck ... 
IPL 2024: Rishabh Pant feels 'disap... 
Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena releases ... 
"Thought we could win series": Craw... 
"There's no one better in India to ... 
Jailed gangster-turned-politician M... 
Chennai: Three dead after false cei... 
I-League: Aizawl blank Churchill, c...