The prevalence of fullness, heartburn and nausea among persons with and without diabetes mellitus in Germany

Background: Gastrointestinal symptoms are commonly reported among persons with diabetes mellitus and are attributed to gastropathy as an expression of autonomic neuropathy. These symptoms are also frequent in the general population. The goal of this study was to compare the prevalence of fullness, heartburn and nausea in the German population among persons with and without diabetes mellitus. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using the German Federal Health Surveys 1987, 1991 and 1998, and involving a representative random sample of German citizens (n = 18411) aged 25 to 69 years. A comparison was made of the prevalence of self-reported symptoms among persons with and without self-reported diabetes mellitus. Results: Diabetes mellitus is significantly associated only with nausea in males (OR, 1.75) and in females (OR, 1.88). In both groups, persons with or without diabetes, the prevalence of fullness (28 vs. 21%) and heartburn (23 vs. 18%) are about the same, whereas nausea is much less common (12 vs. 6%). Women suffered more often from nausea than men in people with diabetes and from fullness and nausea in non-diabetic patients. No correlation between age group and the percentage of persons (both sexes) suffering from a certain complaint can be found in persons with diabetes. Conclusions: The prevalence of some gastrointestinal symptoms is higher in persons with diabetes. It is related to gender, but not to age. The association with diabetic gastropathy remains unclear.