Clinical presentation and personality factors are predictors of the response to treatment in patients with functional dyspepsia - a randomdized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study

The role of psychological factors or symptom pattern for the response to treatment in patients with unexplained (functional) dyspepsia is unknown. We hypothesized that patients with reflux- and ulcer-like symptoms would be more likely to respond to acid-lowering therapy, while psychological disturbances would be associated with a less favorable response to treatment. Seventy-eight patients with a diagnosis of functional dyspepsia were recruited and 75 completed the trial. Patients were treated for 4 weeks in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial starting in random order with either active drug (ranitidine, 150 mg b.d.) or placebo. Every 7 days, medication was switched from active drug to placebo, or vice versa. At entry, patient characteristics were assessed utilizing a semistructured standardized interview and standardized questionnaires, and weekly intensity of symptoms was assessed utilizing a visual analogue scale. Patients with a greater reduction of the symptom score during active treatment and an overall reduction of the global symptom score by more than 50% at the end of the study period were categorized as responders. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to assess the influence of symptom type and presence of psychological disturbances on the treatment response. During treatment the symptom score decreased significantly, from 32.1 ± 1.44 (SD) to 21.3 ± 1.9 at the end of the trial (P Gerald Holtmann, Sven-Uwe Kutscher, Sebastian Haag, Mathias Langkafel, Gereon Heuft, Jutta Neufang-Hueber, Harald Goebell, Wolfgang Senf and Nicholas J. Talle