Prevalence and Associated Factors of Bloating: Results from the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study

Abstract

Background and aims.

Bloating is a common symptom in the general population and among disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), although its prevalence has not been well characterized. The aim of this study is to report the prevalence of bloating as a symptom in the worldwide population and to identify factors associated with this symptom in the general population.

Methods.

Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study internet survey data were analyzed. After excluding respondents with potential organic causes of bowel symptoms, the current analysis included 51,425 individuals in 26 countries. Data included diet, medical history, quality of life and Rome IV diagnostic questions. Presence of bloating was defined as experiencing bloating at least once per week for the last 3 months. Descriptive statistics estimated prevalence by country, region, and DGBI diagnosis. Logistic regression evaluated predictors of bloating

Results.

Nearly 18% of the global study population reported bloating (ranging from 11% in East Asia to 20% in Latin America). Prevalence decreased with age and women were about twice as likely as men to report bloating. Over half of respondents who reported weekly epigastric pain (71.39%), nausea (59.7%), or abdominal pain (61.69%) also reported bloating at least once per week. In logistic regression, the strongest associations were with abdominal pain (OR=2.90) and epigastric pain (OR=2.07).

Conclusion.

Bloating is common throughout the world. Nearly 18% of the general population experience bloating at least once per week. Reported bloating prevalence is lower in older age groups, is most common in women, and is strongly associated with abdominal pain.

Background

Abdominal bloating is the subjective sensation of abdominal fullness with or without visible distension and is thought to be most common in women under the age of 65.^1,2 Bloating is a common and multifactorial symptom that is present in the general population as well as among disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI). In the population, the prevalence of bloating as a symptom has been reported anywhere between 11% to 30%, although these studies have been conducted primarily in English speaking countries^3–6. The prevalence of bloating among disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) has only been evaluated in functional dyspepsia, functional constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, and has been reported to be as high as 96%^6–9. Little is known about the global prevalence of bloating as a symptom, or about differences in bloating prevalence between countries, regions of the world, or among various DGBI diagnoses.

There are multiple possible mechanisms of bloating, which can vary between patients¹⁰. This indeterminate pathophysiology makes it difficult to treat bloating effectively. Research on physiological, psychological, or clinical predictors of bloating has suggested that female sex, constipation, dyspepsia, and somatization may be associated with bloating and/or distension.^10,11 Another recent study using Rome IV criteria in a sample of tertiary care patients reported that severe bloating is more common in patients who are female, young, and have co-existing functional dyspepsia or functional constipation¹². Moreover, several dietary factors also play a role in the pathophysiology of abdominal bloating. Patients with DGBI often report bloating post-prandially, and dietary interventions, such as a diet low in fermentable oligo- di- and monosaccharides (FODMAPs), improve bloating in patients with IBS. Further research, with larger sample sizes from general population, evaluating demographic, clinical and dietary factors associated with bloating may help to improve clinical understanding of bloating as a symptom.

The current study draws on global data from the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study (RFGES) in order to: 1) characterize the prevalence of bloating as a symptom in the global population; 2) characterize the prevalence of bloating as a symptom among DGBI; and 3) identify demographic, clinical, and dietary factors associated with the presence of bloating.

Methods

This study uses internet survey data from the RFGES. Internet surveys were conducted in 26 countries (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Holland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, USA, UK) and were completed by a total of 54,127 people. The pre-determined demographic quota, a minimum of 2000 participants in each country with 50% female, 40% ages 18 to 39 years, 40% ages 40 to 64 years, and 20% ages 65+ years, were met with slight deviations. Surveys included the Rome IV diagnostic questionnaire and 80 other questions related to diet, medical history, and quality of life. For more details on the study methods, see Sperber et al. 2021.¹³

From the data that were collected in the RFGES, the current study evaluated the following: demographic data including age, gender, size of community, country; Rome IV questionnaire data including DGBI diagnosis (y/n for each possible diagnosis), and one item evaluating frequency of bloating in the last three months (“how often did you feel bloated or notice that your belly looked unusually large”); dietary practices data included the question: “On average, how many days a week do you eat the following food types?,” where food types included: milk products, vegetables and legumes, fruit, bread, and pasta (response options ranged from 0 days per week to 7 days per week); clinical data included body mass index and scores from a single-item question evaluating concern with bowel functioning (“Not at all concerned”, “Somewhat concerned” and “Very concerned”); finally, psychological and quality of life data included scores on validated measures of depression and anxiety (PHQ-4)¹⁴, somatization (PHQ-12)¹⁵, and quality of life (PROMIS Global Health)¹⁶.

This study defined presence/absence of bloating based on whether or not a respondent reported experiencing bloating at least once per week for the last 3 months. The cutoff of once per week was chosen to approximate clinically meaningful symptoms, and was based on the Rome IV criteria cutoff for most DGBI symptoms. This cutoff is also consistent with prior studies that have evaluated prevalence of bloating^6,7. Respondents were considered ineligible (n=2,702) if they reported a diagnosis of celiac disease, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, stomach cancer or bowel cancer, diverticulitis, or bowel resection.

Descriptive statistics were used to estimate prevalence of bloating as a symptom by country, by region (USA and Canada, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, Middle East, and other), by age group, by other gastrointestinal symptoms, and by DGBI diagnosis. For each region, the average number of days per week of consumption of different food categories are reported. Logistic regression was used to evaluate demographic, clinical, dietary, and psychological factors associated with bloating as a symptom. Finally, we studied the association between bloating and psychological and physical health by comparing subjects with versus without bloating in regard to depression and anxiety severity (PHQ-4 sum score), and global mental and physical health (PROMIS Global-10 component scores). We use pairwise contrasts between groups for these analyses.

Nota bene:

Some of the data in this paper have already been reported in previous Global Study papers. This is inevitable since the original paper¹³ included a broad range of descriptive statistics for all countries and all disorders. Other papers, including the present one, which use the same database, are reporting in-depth analyses for countries, disorders, and methods, and these include a brief overview of some specific data previously reported.

Results

Of 54,127 respondents across 26 countries, 51,425 were eligible to be included in the current analysis after survey participants with potential organic causes of their bowel symptoms by self-reported history were excluded (figure 1). The global prevalence of bloating at least once per week was 17.68%. A larger proportion of women, globally, reported bloating compared to men (23.4% of all women in the worldwide sample reported bloating vs. 12.2% of all men). Similarly, the majority of all people reporting bloating at least once per week were women (64.9%). Table 1 provides prevalence of bloating at least once per week, separately by age group. The youngest respondents (ages 18–34 years old) had the highest prevalence of bloating (20.29%), while the oldest respondents (ages 65+) had the lowest prevalence (10.44%). Supplement Table 1 provides gender, size of community, and numbers of individuals reporting bloating in each of the 26 countries.

Figure 1:

Flow chart of participant inclusion/exclusion

Table 1.

Prevalence of bloating at least once a week by age group

	n	N	Prevalence (as %)	CI 95%
18–34 years	3472	17109	20.29	19.7 – 20.9
35–49 years	3066	15771	19.44	18.83 – 20.07
50–64 years	1719	10545	16.3	15.61 – 17.02
65+ years	835	8000	10.44	9.79 – 11.13
Sum	9092	51425	17.68	17.35 – 18.01

The prevalence of respondents meeting criteria for the diagnosis of functional abdominal bloating/distension (FABD) in this sample was 3.47%, and the prevalence of FABD among individuals reporting bloating at least once per week was 19.63%. Those that reported bloating at least once per week were five times more likely than not (OR=5.00, 95%CI 4.75–5.25) to report bloating as their most bothersome symptom than those that did not.

Figure 2 provides prevalence of bloating in each of the 26 countries and regions. East Asia had the lowest prevalence of bloating as a symptom, with the combined prevalence of 11%, while Latin America had the highest prevalence of bloating at 20%. Figure 3 and supplement table 2 report the average number of days/week that respondents reported consuming milk products, vegetables and legumes, fruit, bread, and pasta in the last week (possible responses: 0–7 days) in each country and each region. In East Asia, which had the lowest prevalence of bloating, participants reported eating pasta the least frequently (mean=1.06 days/week, SD=1.39), followed by milk (mean=3.62 days/week, SD=2.46), bread (mean=3.69 days/week, SD=2.25), fruit (mean=4.07 days/week, SD=2.32), and vegetables/legumes (mean=5.29 days/week, SD=1.92). For comparison, in Latin America, which had the highest prevalence of bloating, participants reported eating pasta an average of 2.63 days/week (SD=1.73) and ate milk, vegetables/legumes, fruits, and bread on average between 4–5 days per week.

Figure 2:

Prevalence of bloating at least 1x/week in different countries and global regions. N= total sample per country and region; n=total number reporting bloating in each country or region

Figure 3:

Average number of days per week reported consuming different food groups by global region

Table 2 shows the frequency of bloating in patients who report each of the following symptoms: epigastric pain at least once per week; early satiety at least once a week; nausea at least once per week; diarrhea at least 30% of all bowel movements; constipation at least 30% of all bowel movements; and abdominal pain at least once a week. Over half of respondents who reported epigastric pain (71.39%), nausea (59.7%), or abdominal pain (61.69%) at least 1x/week also reported bloating at least once per week. Lower rates of bloating were reported by those who had diarrhea (33.04%), constipation (32.62%), and early satiety (46.79%). Supplement table 3 reports the prevalence of bloating at least once per week among DGBI. Prevalence ranged from 21% (functional diarrhea) to 74% (epigastric pain syndrome). Data are not presented for the following DGBI due to n<50 sample size: cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, functional biliary pain, central abdominal pain syndrome (CAPS).

Table 2.

Frequency of bloating in individuals reporting other GI symptoms

						Bloating frequency
		never		< 1 day/month		1–3 days/month		1x/week		most days		every day
	Total n	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Epigastric pain
No	49409	20496	41.48	10540	21.33	10720	21.7	5166	10.46	1612	3.26	875	1.77
Yes	2016	100	4.96	81	4.02	396	19.64	743	36.86	385	19.1	311	15.43
								Bloating at least 1x/week=71.39%
Early Satiety
No	45899	19667	42.85	9936	21.65	9790	21.33	4423	9.64	1369	2.98	714	1.56
Yes	5526	929	16.81	685	12.4	1326	24	1486	26.89	628	11.36	472	8.54
								Bloating at least 1x/week=46.79%
Nausea
No	49400	20386	41.27	10457	21.17	10674	21.61	5283	10.69	1686	3.41	914	1.85
Yes	2025	210	10.37	164	8.1	442	21.83	626	30.91	311	15.36	272	13.43
								Bloating at least 1x/week=59.70%
Diarrhea
No	40017	17950	44.86	8812	22.02	7932	19.82	3541	8.85	1135	2.84	647	1.62
Yes	11408	2646	23.19	1809	15.86	3184	27.91	2368	20.76	862	7.56	539	4.72
								Bloating at least 1x/week=33.04%
Constipation
No	37713	17477	46.34	8379	22.22	7237	19.19	3124	8.28	932	2.47	564	1.5
Yes	13712	3119	22.75	2242	16.35	3879	28.29	2785	20.31	1065	7.77	622	4.54
								Bloating at least 1x/week=32.62%
Abdominal pain
No	47032	20189	42.93	10304	21.91	10157	21.6	4404	9.36	1304	2.77	674	1.43
Yes	4393	407	9.26	317	7.22	959	21.83	1505	34.26	693	15.78	512	11.65
								Bloating at least 1x/week=61.69%

Symptom definitions: Epigastric pain at least once per week; Early satiety at least once a week; Nausea at least once per week; Diarrhea at least 30% of all bowel movements; Constipation at least 30% of all bowel movements; Abdominal pain at least once a week

Finally, Table 3 shows the results of a hierarchical logistic regression evaluating factors potentially associated with presence/absence of weekly bloating. In the final model, controlling for demographic, psychological, health, and dietary factors, the following factors were independently and significantly associated with bloating: female sex; age; somatic symptoms; depression and anxiety; reported concern about bowel functioning; worse global physical health; presence of abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, epigastric pain, early satiety; and more milk consumption. The strongest associations were with abdominal pain (OR=2.90) and epigastric pain (OR=2.07).

Table 3.

Logistic regression for presence of bloating at least once a week. Odds ratios include 95% confidence limits.

	Model predictors: demographics			Model predictors: psychological burden			Model predictors: Health			Model predictors: Gastrointestinal symptoms			Model predictors: Dietary factors
Predictors	Odds Ratios	CI	p	Odds Ratios	CI	p	Odds Ratios	CI	p	Odds Ratios	CI	p	Odds Ratios	CI	p
(Intercept)	0.23	0.21 – 0.25	<0.001	0.05	0.04 – 0.05	<0.001	0.03	0.02 – 0.04	<0.001	0.02	0.02 – 0.03	<0.001	0.02	0.02 – 0.03	<0.001
Female gender	2.14	2.04 – 2.25	<0.001	1.56	1.48 – 1.64	<0.001	1.55	1.47 – 1.63	<0.001	1.59	1.51 – 1.68	<0.001	1.58	1.50 – 1.68	<0.001
Age	0.99	0.99 – 0.99	<0.001	1.00	1.00 – 1.00	0.529	1.00	1.00 – 1.00	0.031	1.00	1.00 – 1.00	0.004	1.00	1.00 – 1.00	0.004
PHQ-12 sum score				1.15	1.15 – 1.16	<0.001	1.09	1.08 – 1.10	<0.001	1.05	1.04 – 1.05	<0.001	1.05	1.04 – 1.05	<0.001
PHQ-4 sum score				1.14	1.13 – 1.15	<0.001	1.07	1.06 – 1.08	<0.001	1.05	1.03 – 1.06	<0.001	1.05	1.03 – 1.06	<0.001
Concern about bowel functioning							1.54	1.51 – 1.57	<0.001	1.38	1.36 – 1.41	<0.001	1.39	1.36 – 1.42	<0.001
Global Physical Health							0.89	0.87 – 0.90	<0.001	0.93	0.92 – 0.95	<0.001	0.93	0.92 – 0.95	<0.001
Global Mental Health							1.04	1.03 – 1.05	<0.001	1.01	1.00 – 1.02	0.086	1.01	1.00 – 1.02	0.066
Abdominal pain at least once a week										2.89	2.66 – 3.14	<0.001	2.90	2.67 – 3.14	<0.001
Constipation of at least 30% of all bowel movements										1.75	1.66 – 1.85	<0.001	1.75	1.65 – 1.85	<0.001
Diarrhea of at least 30% of all bowel movements										1.57	1.48 – 1.67	<0.001	1.58	1.49 – 1.67	<0.001
Nausea at least once a week										1.26	1.11 – 1.42	<0.001	1.26	1.12 – 1.42	<0.001
Early satiety at least once a week										1.87	1.74 – 2.02	<0.001	1.87	1.74 – 2.02	<0.001
Epigastric pain at least once a week										2.07	1.82 – 2.34	<0.001	2.07	1.83 – 2.35	<0.001
Milk products													1.02	1.00 – 1.03	0.005
Vegetables and legumes													1.00	0.98 – 1.01	0.538
Fruit													0.99	0.98 – 1.01	0.438
Bread													0.99	0.98 – 1.00	0.051
Pasta													0.99	0.98 – 1.01	0.512
Observations	51425			51425			51341			51341			51341
R2 Tjur	0.026			0.125			0.179			0.251			0.251
log-Likelihood	−23306.489			−21013.506			−19682.772			−18305.774			−18299.751

^*Symptom definitions: Epigastric pain at least once per week; Early satiety at least once a week; Nausea at least once per week; Diarrhea at least 30% of all bowel movements; Constipation at least 30% of all bowel movements; Abdominal pain at least once a week

PHQ-12: a validated measure of somatization

PHQ-4: a validated measure of emotional distress (anxiety/depression)

Bloating frequency and bloating severity together with the presence of a DGBI, affect psychological and physical health as the analyses of pairwise contrasts show (Supplement table 4). We compared subjects who did not report digestive symptoms to the following groups: 1) subjects reporting bloating at least once a week, 2) bloating at least once a week with comorbid DGBI, 3) bloating at least once a week with bloating as the most bothersome symptoms, and 4) bloating at least once a week with bloating as the most bothersome symptom and comorbid DGBI. Subjects suffering from bloating show significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety severity, lower global mental health, and lower global physical health. Furthermore, the magnitudes of the contrast estimates show that the presence of a DGBI yielded estimates indicating higher burden in psychological and physical health.

Discussion

Bloating is a commonly reported symptom in the general population and is exceedingly common among individuals reporting chronic GI symptoms and among those meeting Rome IV criteria for DGBI. The current study found that 17% of the global study population reported experiencing bloating at least once per week (ranging from 11% in East Asia to 20% in Latin America). Over half of respondents reporting nausea, abdominal pain, or epigastric pain at least once per week also reported bloating at least once a week. As expected, bloating was also more common among those meeting Rome IV criteria for one or more of 22 DGBI, with the prevalence ranging from 21% (functional diarrhea) to 74% (epigastric pain syndrome). Finally, we found that bloating prevalence was lower in older age groups, and that women were about twice as likely as men to report experiencing bloating weekly, both of which are consistent with previous reports^2,3.

Previous research estimated the prevalence of bloating as a symptom to be up to 30% in the general population^5,7,10, although most studies used different definitions to determine the presence/absence of bloating. For example, one recent study in the United States (n=88,795) reported that 13.9% of the sample reported bloating within the last week⁶ and another (n=21,128) found that 4.5% reported bloating at least once per week⁵. Another study reported that 27% of patients (n=1050) receiving medical care at a hospital in South Korea had “significant” bloating,⁷ and a study in Australia found that 31% of individuals in the population reported “often” having bloating in the last year⁴. In the current study, we found that 18% of individuals in the United States reported bloating at least once per week, which is slightly higher than the 13.9% prevalence of “bloating in the last 7 days” recently reported in a large national survey in the US⁶, and substantially higher than the previously reported prevalence of 4.5% experiencing bloating at least once per week⁵. Our finding of 18% prevalence of bloating in the US was also consistent with the rates reported in 25 other countries in this global survey. It is possible that discrepancies in reported prevalence of bloating as a symptom may be related to the wording of the question in Rome IV “how often did you feel bloated or notice that your belly looked unusually large” compared to the way this question may have been asked in previous studies or how surveys were conducted (e.g., internet-based vs. computer-assisted telephone survey vs. face-to-face interview).

The findings of this study suggest that bloating is strongly associated with abdominal pain, which is consistent with previous reports^12,17. Seventy one percent of individuals who reported epigastric pain and 62% of those who reported abdominal pain at least once per week also reported bloating at least weekly. The prevalence of bloating was higher among individuals with epigastric and/or abdominal pain compared to other chronic GI symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, nausea, or early satiety. In the logistic regression, abdominal pain and epigastric pain had the strongest association with bloating (ORs = 2.65 and 2.03, respectively) when compared to other GI symptoms, and after controlling for demographics, diet, and psychological burden. Furthermore, when identifying prevalence of bloating among specific DGBI, the DGBI with the highest prevalence of bloating included: epigastric pain syndrome, reflux hypersensitivity, and IBS, all of which are associated with pain or discomfort. Our finding that IBS-C and IBS-D had higher rates of bloating (71% and 64%, respectively) compared to functional constipation and functional diarrhea (36% and 21%, respectively) further supports the finding above that bloating is associated with abdominal pain, and that this association appears to be stronger than the association between bloating and bowel habits. This may support the conclusion that bloating in DGBI is likely to be attributable to visceral hypersensitivity^18–20 and that this symptom could therefore potentially respond to neuromodulators or brain-gut behavioral therapy.

Similar to other research, our study showed that female sex, constipation, psychological distress, and somatic symptoms were all associated with increased likelihood of reporting frequent bloating^10–12,21. Additionally, we observed those reporting abdominal pain at least 1x/week had much higher odds of bloating (OR=2.90), and those reporting epigastric pain had twice the odds (OR=2.07) of also reporting bloating. Once again, this highlights the finding that pain, discomfort, and upper GI symptoms appear to have the strongest association with bloating, whereas constipation alone, which is often thought to be highly comorbid with bloating, had a statistically significant but weaker predictive association (OR=1.75).

The association between bloating and psychological distress highlights the multifaceted nature of the symptom of bloating. As shown in supplement table 4, bloating is associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety, with lower global mental health, and lower global physical health, in comparison with subjects without bloating. This indicates that many people suffering from frequent bloating are psychologically and physically impaired.

The results of this study also indicated that more frequent milk consumption was associated with higher chances of reporting frequent bloating. The findings regarding dairy are consistent with previous reports^22–24. In order to further understand dietary factors related to bloating, we can look to frequency of foods consumed in the regions with the highest and lowest reported bloating. For example, compared to East Asia, which had the lowest prevalence of bloating, participants from Latin America, which had the highest prevalence of bloating, reported more frequent consumption of pasta (twice as high as East Asia), milk, and bread. This is interesting because these foods are generally high in FODMAPs (fructans and lactose) which are known to exacerbate bloating in patients with DGBI. Moreover, a diet low in FODMAPs has been shown to reduce bloating severity in patients with IBS²⁵. Thus, regional variation in diet could, in part, explain the differences seen in bloating prevalence globally. However, our questions were not designed to specifically address the nuances of dietary triggers for bloating (e.g., have you restricted any food group consumption due to bloating, do you identify dietary triggers for bloating, etc.). Finally, there could be other factors (e.g., genetics, linguistic differences in the meaning/interpretation of various words for ‘bloating’) that could also explain the regional differences in bloating.

This study has several strengths, most notably the large and global sample size provided by the RFGES internet survey. As a result, it provides the first global estimate of bloating as a symptom worldwide, by country, and among a wide range of DGBI. Despite these strengths, there are some limitations to acknowledge. First, this survey relied entirely on patient reported data, which could not be verified with any clinical information. Second, this study only included data from those countries that were surveyed via internet and, therefore, may not be generalizable to countries with more limited internet access. Third, although the study included a large, world-wide sample, the number of individuals in each of the 26 countries was comparatively low (<3000 cases per country). Fourth, this is a cross-sectional study and, therefore, directionality of associations cannot be ascertained. Fifth, the questions for bloating were not framed to differentiate it from abdominal distention, and therefore the current study does not provide any insight into differences (if any) in the clinical and demographic factors associated with abdominal bloating or distention. Sixth, the questions about dietary patterns were based on an unvalidated measure, rendering it difficult to make clear conclusions about dietary risk factors for bloating. Seventh, the data in this study were collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have impacted the worldwide prevalence of DGBIs and associated symptoms^26,27. Finally, there were no data available to measure bloating severity.

In summary, bloating is common throughout the world and across a wide range of cultures and dietary patterns. Nearly 18% of the general population and 21–74% of DGBI experience bloating at least once per week. Reported bloating prevalence is lower in older age groups, is most common in women, and is strongly associated with abdominal pain. These findings can inform clinical practice in several ways. First, our findings that bloating is very common in the general population and is particularly common among patients with DGBIs, suggests that this is a symptom that should be screened thoroughly by both general practitioners and gastroenterologists. Second, our findings suggest that abdominal pain is more strongly associated with bloating than constipation. Therefore, it is possible that treating pain and/or reducing visceral hypersensitivity (e.g., with neuromodulators and/or brain gut behavioral therapy) might improve bloating severity , especially among patients with DGBI.

What you need to know.

Background and context:

Bloating is a common symptom in the general population and among disorders of gut-brain interaction, but its global prevalence has not been well characterized.

New Findings:

Nearly 18% of the worldwide population experience bloating at least once per week. Prevalence is lower in older age, most common in women, prevalent among DGBI, and strongly associated with abdominal pain.

Limitations:

This survey relied entirely on patient reported data. Second, these findings may not be generalizable to countries with limited internet access. Finally, bloating was not differentiated from distension.

Clinical research relevance:

Bloating is a symptom that should be screened thoroughly by both general practitioners and gastroenterologists. Treating abdominal pain might improve bloating severity, especially among patients with DGBI

Basic research relevance:

The pathophysiology of bloating is poorly understood. In the current study, we have identified demographic, dietary and psychological factors associated with bloating. Future studies should seek to identify underlying mechanisms.

Lay summary:

Bloating is common throughout the world. Bloating prevalence is highest in women, younger age groups, and among individuals who also report chronic gastrointestinal pain.

Data Statement:

Requests for RFGES data and materials may be submitted to the Rome Foundation.