MEDICAL AREA   

Medicina dello Sport 2018 December;71(4):579-90

DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.18.03100-9

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Symptoms of functional esophageal disorders, functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome in sport and music performers

Sebastian NEDELCUT ¹, Daniel-Corneliu LEUCUTA ² ✉, Dan L. DUMITRASCU ¹

¹ 2nd Medical Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; ² Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

BACKGROUND: Sport and music performers may present gastrointestinal symptoms, but few data are available on the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) in these professional categories. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of functional esophageal disorders (FED), functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms and of their determinants, in sportsmen and to compare with musicians, who also perform under stress.
METHODS: We analyzed 804 subjects in four groups: 223 (27.74%) sportsmen, 162 (20.15%) vocal singers, 177(22.01%) instrumentists, and 242 (30.10%) healthy controls, with questionnaires of Rome III modules for FED, FD and IBS. We also assessed anxiety by the Zung Anxiety Score, and demographical and lifestyle characteristics as possible factors associated with FGIDs symptoms, with multiple logistic regressions.
RESULTS: IBS symptoms were present in 10.76% in of sport performers, 17.51% of music instrumentists, 11.11% of vocal singers, and 10.74% of controls. FD and heartburn symptoms were the least frequent in sportsmen (4.05%) and controls (9.5%) and the more frequent in instrumentists (16.38% and 10.23%, respectively), followed by singers (12.35% and 6.88%, respectively). Sportsmen had less FGID symptoms than musicians, except dysphagia (4.09%), which was more frequent than in instrumentists (1.71%) and singers (0.62). Functional dyspepsia, heartburn and IBS symptoms were all associated with anxiety. We also show several nutrition and life style that were associated with some of the FGID symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Functional dyspepsia, heartburn and IBS symptoms were similar in sportsmen and controls and more frequent in musical performers: instrumentists and singers. As an exception, dysphagia was more frequent in sportsmen. Anxiety, nutrition and life style were associated with the main FGIDs.

KEY WORDS: Esophageal diseases - Dyspepsia - Irritable bowel syndrome - Athletes