Table 1.
Characteristics of each of the symptom clusters. A cluster (e.g. constipation) is characterized by a specific combination of perceived symptoms expressed as the percentage of individuals reporting them in each cluster and in the total population. Symptoms that are highlighted in different colours are significantly higher in the cluster than in the whole population (significance set at p < 0.05).
| Symptom | Constipation | Intestinal heaviness | Abdominal pressure | Swollen tummy | Intestinal pain | Gurgling | Flatulence | Diarrhoea | Gastric pain | Acid reflux | Burning | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burning sensations | ||||||||||||
| Acid reflux which stings and burns my throat. | 2.8 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 33.3 | 100 | 27.5 | 13.8 |
| It feels hot inside my tummy. | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| It burns like a fire that spreads inside me. | 0.6 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 8.3 | 0.0 | 52.9 | 3.7 |
| Fullness sensations | ||||||||||||
| My tummy feels too full and about to overflow. | 5.7 | 25.3 | 8.0 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 5.6 |
| I have a weight in my stomach as if I have swallowed a weight. | 3.4 | 52.0 | 7.1 | 0.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 12.5 | 7.1 | 3.9 | 8.1 |
| Tummy texture and volume | ||||||||||||
| I have a slightly swollen tummy. | 22.7 | 18.7 | 18.8 | 78.9 | 17.2 | 28.8 | 23.8 | 12.0 | 20.8 | 11.9 | 19.6 | 25.6 |
| My tummy feels hard and rigid. | 9.1 | 5.3 | 25.0 | 6.7 | 5.2 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 3.9 | 7.0 |
| My tummy swells up quickly like a balloon. | 7.4 | 18.7 | 65.2 | 3.3 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 8.2 | 12.0 | 4.2 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 14.6 |
| The skin of my tummy feels as if it is going to explode. | 1.7 | 6.7 | 17.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 8.3 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 4.1 |
| Blockage sensations | ||||||||||||
| I feel blocked inside like a plug in the sink. | 29.0 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 9.8 | 8.1 |
| Something is stagnating inside me and there is no flow. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 2.4 |
| I feel that food is not going through me normally. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 58.3 | 1.2 | 5.9 | 2.0 |
| Internal movements | ||||||||||||
| I have gurgling and movement inside me as if nothing is in the right place. | 6.3 | 8.0 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 8.6 | 50.0 | 6.8 | 6.0 | 8.3 | 3.6 | 5.9 | 8.4 |
| I hear noises in my tummy as if it is working all the time. | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 5.2 | 55.8 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 8.3 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 6.2 |
| I feel like there are small air bubbles inside me and everything is moving. | 2.3 | 2.7 | 24.1 | 1.1 | 10.3 | 5.8 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 5.7 |
| It’s like a crowd of people trampling and hitting me inside. | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 30.8 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| I have a volcano that is erupting and exploding in my tummy. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 23.5 | 2.1 |
| I feel fluid in my tummy that is bubbling and boiling. | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
| Internal pain and tensions | ||||||||||||
| I feel I am having contractions which deform my tummy. | 1.7 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 65.5 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 7.8 | 7.4 |
| I feel as if someone is twisting my intestines in all directions. | 1.7 | 41.3 | 6.3 | 1.1 | 13.8 | 1.9 | 6.8 | 8.4 | 16.7 | 3.6 | 7.8 | 8.3 |
| I feel that something inside me wants to get out. It’s like a cramp. | 2.3 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 5.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 3.7 |
| I feel there are some spasms inside me which twist in all directions. | 1.1 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 53.4 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 20.8 | 1.2 | 9.8 | 6.1 |
| I feel a tension inside me as if it is expanding. | 0.6 | 0.0 | 6.3 | 0.0 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 54.2 | 0.0 | 3.9 | 2.6 |
| I feel that someone is pricking me inside with a spike. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 45.1 | 2.9 |
| Gas | ||||||||||||
| I often have gas. I try to hold it in but it hurts my tummy. | 14.2 | 6.7 | 23.2 | 4.4 | 10.3 | 13.5 | 54.4 | 14.5 | 4.2 | 6.0 | 9.8 | 18.5 |
| I often have smelly wind. | 13.6 | 5.3 | 7.1 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 0.0 | 57.1 | 20.5 | 0.0 | 3.6 | 9.8 | 15.6 |
| I cannot stop passing wind. | 5.7 | 1.3 | 7.1 | 1.1 | 5.2 | 13.5 | 47.6 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 4.8 | 9.8 | 12.9 |
| Stool | ||||||||||||
| My stools are dry, small, hard and like rocks. | 22.2 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 6.8 | 1.2 | 8.3 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 6.6 |
| My stools feel and smell like they have fermented inside me. | 5.1 | 1.3 | 8.0 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 12.2 | 34.9 | 8.3 | 0.0 | 7.8 | 7.7 |
| I have liquid stools and evacuation is explosive. | 1.7 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 15.5 | 9.6 | 4.8 | 67.5 | 4.2 | 2.4 | 9.8 | 10.2 |
| I have soft stools. | 0.0 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 24.4 | 6.9 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 12.0 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 9.8 | 6.5 |
| I have completely liquid stools like water. | 0.0 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 13.8 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 33.7 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 9.8 | 5.5 |
| Evacuation | ||||||||||||
| I want to go to the toilet but I cannot evacuate my bowels. | 55.7 | 4.0 | 11.6 | 2.2 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 6.1 | 3.6 | 12.5 | 3.6 | 9.8 | 14.7 |
| Bowel evacuation is difficult. I need to strain a lot. | 53.4 | 6.7 | 15.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 11.5 | 12.2 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 7.8 | 16.3 |