Acute gastroenteritis and the risk of functional dyspepsia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the risk of developing functional dyspepsia (FD) following acute infectious gastroenteritis (IGE).METHODS: Eligible studies were identified through PubMed and EMBASE searches. Data and quality indicators were extracted by two authors from nine studies examining the risk of FD following IGE in 5,755 exposed individuals. RESULTS: Estimates of FD risk following IGE based on a random effects model yielded a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 2.18 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.70-2.81). Subanalyses revealed differences in the odds of FD following self-reported IGE (OR: 2.83, 95% CI: 2.10-3.81) compared with documented IGE medical encounters (OR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.26-2.58), and a decreasing FD risk with time from IGE (≤12 months: OR: 4.76, 95% CI: 2.47-9.20 and >12 months: OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.51-2.56).CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these data suggest that the risk of developing FD is significantly increased following IGE.