Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common chronic infection that is widely associated with symptoms of fatigue and abdominal pain. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of functional dyspepsia (FD) among patients with hepatitis C.
Methods: This study included 252 patients with chronic hepatitis C and 150 healthy volunteers. Clinical and laboratory data were recorded for every patient. All patients and controls were administered a questionnaire of FD according to Rome III criteria.
Results: The percentage of patients with FD was significantly higher in patients with chronic HCV than normal controls (65.9 % vs 28.7 %, respectively). In chronic HCV patients, post prandial distention syndrome (PDS) subtype was the predominant type (86.1 %). The percentage of patients with a high fibrosis score (F2-3) and raised ALT were significantly higher in patients with FD than in patients without FD (P < 0.001; P < 0.04; respectively). A multivariate regression analysis revealed a significant association between fibrosis score, BMI and FD CONCLUSION: FD is more prevalent in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Obese chronic HCV and those with higher fibrosis scores are more likely to have FD.