Long-Term Outcomes After Therapeutic Induction in Patients with Functional Dyspepsia.

Background

This multicenter retrospective study evaluated the long-term outcomes of functional dyspepsia (FD) and factors associated with treatment resistance over a 3-year period after treatment initiation.

Methods

A total of 111 patients diagnosed with FD according to the Rome IV criteria and confirmed by upper endoscopy to have no organic disease were retrospectively analyzed. First-line therapy included acid-suppressive drugs, prokinetics, and the Kampo medicine rikkunshito, whereas second-line therapy comprised anxiolytics or antidepressants for refractory cases. Gastrointestinal symptoms, psychological distress, and health-related quality of life were assessed using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Short Form-8. Symptom improvement was evaluated at 1 and 3 years.

Results

The improvement rates at 1 and 3 years were 50.5% and 80.2%, respectively. At baseline, the non-improvement group had significantly higher HADS-Depression and GSRS-Abdominal Pain scores (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified HADS-Depression (odds ratio [OR] = 0.676, p = 0.019) and GSRS-Abdominal Pain (OR = 0.461, p = 0.038) as independent predictors of treatment resistance.

Conclusions

The present findings indicate that FD often requires prolonged therapy, and baseline depressive symptoms and abdominal pain predict poor long-term outcomes, emphasizing the need for early psychological assessment and integrated management.