Chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life in the Korean population

• Published in: World journal of gastroenterology : WJG 2008-11, Vol.14 (41), p.6388-6394
• Main Authors: Jeong, Jeong-Jo, Choi, Myung-Gyu, Cho, Young-Seok, Lee, Seung-Geun, Oh, Jung-Hwan, Park, Jae-Myung, Cho, Yu-Kyung, Lee, In-Seok, Kim, Sang-Woo, Han, Sok-Won, Choi, Kyu-Yong, Chung, In-Sik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Asian People - psychology; Asian People - statistics & numerical data; Chronic Disease; Constipation - ethnology; Constipation - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dyspepsia - ethnology; Dyspepsia - psychology; Female; Gastroesophageal Reflux - ethnology; Gastroesophageal Reflux - psychology; Gastrointestinal Agents - therapeutic use; Gastrointestinal Diseases - drug therapy; Gastrointestinal Diseases - ethnology; Gastrointestinal Diseases - psychology; Health Surveys; Humans; Irritable Bowel Syndrome - ethnology; Irritable Bowel Syndrome - psychology; Korea - epidemiology; Male; Middle Aged; Office Visits - statistics & numerical data; Prevalence; Quality of Life; Rapid Communication; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1007-9327
• DOI: 10.3748/wjg.14.6388

To evaluate the prevalence of chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the Korean population. A cross-sectional survey, using a reliable and valid Rome II based questionnaire, was performed on randomly selected residents, between 18 and 69 years in age. All respondents were interviewed at their homes or offices by a team of interviewers. The impact of chronic gastrointestinal symptoms on HRQOL was assessed using the Korean version of the 36-item Short-Form general health survey (SF-36). Of the 1807 eligible subjects, 1417 (78.4%: male 762; female 655) were surveyed. Out of the respondents, 18.6% exhibited at least one chronic gastrointestinal symptom. The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), defined as heartburn and/or acid regurgitation experienced at least weekly, was 3.5% (95% CI, 2.6-4.5). The prevalence of uninvestigated dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic constipation based on Rome II criteria were 11.7% (95% CI, 10.1-13.5), 2.2% (95% CI, 1.5-3.1), and 2.6% (95% CI, 1.8-3.5) respectively. Compared with subjects without chronic gastrointestinal symptoms (n=1153), those with GERD (n=50), uninvestigated dyspepsia (n=166) and IBS (n=31) had significantly worse scores on most domains of the SF-36 scales. The prevalence of GERD, uninvestigated dyspepsia and IBS were 3.5%, 11.7% and 2.2% respectively, in the Korean population. The health-related quality of life was significantly impaired in subjects with GERD, uninvestigated dyspepsia and IBS in this community.