Prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and signs in northwestern Tabriz, Iran.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) signs and symptoms in the general population in the northwestern area of Tabriz, Iran.

METHODS

During May 2000, 4225 subjects were randomly chosen from a general population of approximately 230,000 individuals, and invited to a questionnaire interview and a clinical examination.

RESULTS

Of the subjects invited, 3983 (94.2%) participated in the study. Among them, 569 (14.3%) reported one or more GI symptoms in the last 2 weeks, and 96 (2.4%) had GI signs. Abdominal pain (5.1%), constipation (3.6%), heartburn (3.0%), dyspepsia (2.9%), a mass prolapsing from the anus (2.1%), bloating (1.5%), and hematochezia (l%) were the most common GI symptoms. Abdominal tenderness on deep palpation was the commonest clinical sign (1.2%).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of GI symptoms in the population studied was lower than that reported from other populations.