Research Article Adding to the Burden: Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Syndromes in Multiple Sclerosis

Copyright © 2013 David J. Levinthal et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients often suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. However, the full extent and prevalence of such symptoms are not clearly established. Thus, we sought to define the prevalence of GI symptoms and syndromes in those with MS. Methods. 218 MS patients completed self-reported demographic and clinical data questionnaires as well as several standardized surveys probing MS severity and GI health. Results. Nearly two thirds (65.6%) of patients endorsed at least one persistent GI symptom. Constipation (36.6%), dysphagia (21.1%), and fecal incontinence (15.1%) were common. Surprisingly, nearly 30 % (28.4%) of the patients reported dyspeptic symptoms. Using validated diagnostic algorithms, patients met criteria for functional dysphagia (14.7%), functional dyspepsia (16.5%), functional constipation (31.7%), and IBS (19.3%), among others. Functional dysphagia, functional dyspepsia, and IBS were significantly more common in those with self-identifiedmood disorders. Conclusions. Constipation, fecal incontinence, and dysphagia are indeed frequent symptoms seen in MS patients. We also noted