Effects of Rome IV Definitions of Functional Dyspepsia Subgroups in Secondary Care.

ABSTRACT Background & Aims Functional dyspepsia (FD) is subdivided into postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) and epigastric pain syndrome (EPS) according to the Rome III consensus. In clinical practice, there is a major overlap between these subgroups. The Rome IV criteria included postprandially occurring symptoms in the PDS subgroup. We aimed to analyze the effects of the Rome IV criteria, compared to Rome III, on FD subgroups in patients recruited from secondary care. Methods Patients with FD (n=224; mean age, 43±1 years; 77% women) were recruited from secondary-care units in Belgium and filled out symptom questionnaires, allowing subdivision according to Rome III and Rome IV criteria and identification of postprandial symptoms. Symptom patterns and demographics were compared between the subgroups. Statistical analysis was performed using the t-test and Fisher’s exact test. Results According to the Rome III criteria, 25% of participants had PDS, 8% had EPS, and 67% had an overlap. Postprandial fullness, early satiation, and bloating were present in significantly more patients in the PDS and overlap groups than the EPS group (P Conclusion Compared to Rome III criteria, the Rome IV criteria significantly reduce the overlap between PDS and EPS groups. Studies are needed to determine if Rome IV subgroups are differently associated with psychological co-morbidities and treatment responses.