Table 1.
Gastrointestinal symptoms in MS/hEDS patients compared with controls.
| Controls | MS/hEDS patients | P value (Fisher's exact test) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 90 | 90 | |
| M : F | 18 : 72 | 18 : 72 | |
| Symptoms | |||
| Abdominal pain | 25 | 55 | <0.0001∗∗∗ |
| Diarrhoea | 8 | 30 | <0.0001∗∗∗ |
| Constipation | 15 | 49 | <0.0001∗∗∗ |
| Medicines | |||
| Antisecretory/antacids | 17 | 48 | <0.0001∗∗∗ |
| Laxatives | 13 | 46 | <0.0001∗∗∗ |
| Oesophageal disorders | |||
| Functional chest pain | 1 | 6 | 0.1177 |
| Functional heartburn | 11 | 30 | 0.0012∗∗ |
| Globus | 1 | 3 | 0.6208 |
| Functional dysphagia | 3 | 13 | 0.016∗ |
| Gastroduodenal disorders | |||
| Functional dyspepsia | 7 | 25 | 0.0007∗∗∗ |
| Belching disorders | 4 | 10 | 0.016∗ |
| Nausea and vomiting disorders | 1 | 4 | 0.3680 |
| Rumination syndrome | 1 | 3 | 0.6208 |
| Bowel disorders | |||
| Irritable bowel syndrome | 6 | 21 | 0.0029∗∗ |
| Functional constipation | 11 | 32 | 0.0004∗∗∗ |
| Functional diarrhoea | 5 | 19 | 0.0036∗∗ |
| Functional abdominal bloating/distension | 6 | 23 | 0.0009∗∗∗ |
| Unspecified functional bowel disorder | 22 | 50 | <0.0001∗∗∗ |
| Centrally mediated abdominal pain syndrome | 3 | 9 | 0.1324 |
| Functional biliary pain | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Anorectal disorders | |||
| Faecal incontinence | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Functional anorectal pain | 2 | 4 | 0.6822 |
∗ P < 0.05; ∗∗P < 0.01; ∗∗∗P < 0.001.