• D K Chitkara, A J Bredenoord, M J Rucker, and N J Talley.
• Clinical Enteric Neuroscience Translational and Epidemiological Research Program, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
• Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 2005 Nov 1; 22 (9): 855-8.

BackgroundAerophagia is a functional upper gastrointestinal disorder that has not previously been well described in a large patient group.AimsTo describe the initial evaluation of patients who presented with symptoms of aerophagia at a tertiary medical centre.MethodsA computerized search was used to identify all patients who were diagnosed with aerophagia at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester between 1996 and 2003 (n = 79). Individual medical charts were abstracted for information on the demographics, clinical features, co-morbid diagnoses, diagnostic workup and treatment. Information on presenting symptoms was also collected for a group of patients who were classified as having functional dyspepsia for comparison (n = 121).ResultsThe median duration of symptoms in patients with aerophagia was 24 months. The most common symptoms were belching (56%), abdominal pain (19%), bloating (27%) and abdominal distension (19%). Patients with functional dyspepsia had a higher prevalence of reporting nausea, vomiting, early satiety, weight loss and abdominal pain (all P < 0.01, adjusting for age, gender and body mass index). Significantly more patients with aerophagia had anxiety (19%) than those with functional dyspepsia (6%, P < 0.01).ConclusionsIndividuals with aerophagia experience prolonged upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Initial presenting symptoms appear to be distinctly different from those who have functional dyspepsia.

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