Risk factors associated with dyspepsia in a rural Asian population and its impact on quality of life.

Abstract

The epidemiology and impact of dyspepsia in rural Asia remains uncertain. We aimed to determine the prevalence epidemiology and impact of dyspepsia in a rural Malaysian community. A door-to-door survey was conducted in a representative rural population in Malaysia. Dyspepsia was defined according to the Rome II criteria, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was assessed using the Euroqol (EQ-5D) instrument. Of 2,260 adults, 2,000 (88.5%) completed the survey. The mean age of respondents was 40.4+/-15.3 years, 62.7% were women, 79.0% were ethnic Malays, 8.4% had been educated up to the tertiary level, 49.7% were unemployed, and 63.4% resided in village-type housing with 49.1% having >8 residents per household. Dyspepsia was prevalent in 292 (14.6%) adults, and they had lower mean EQ-5D utility scores compared with healthy controls (0.91+/-0.17 vs. 0.97+/-0.08, P<0.0001). Dyspepsia was found to be associated with female gender (15.8 vs. 12.7% males, P=0.058), Chinese ethnicity (19.7 vs. 14.2% non-Chinese), higher education levels, medium-range incomes (19.1% medium range vs. 13.3% low range), non-village-type housing (16.3 vs. 13.5% village-type house, P=0.08), nonsmokers (18.7 vs. 13.7%, P=0.015), non-tea drinkers (19.5 vs. 12.3%, P<0.0001), regular analgesia intake (27 vs. 12.7%, P<0.0001), and adults with chronic illness (26.6 vs. 11.1%, P<0.0001). Logistic regression analysis showed that higher levels of education, i.e., secondary (odds ratio (OR) 2.13, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.15-3.93) and tertiary (2.70, 95% CI=1.30-5.62) education, non-village housing (OR 1.36, 95% CI=1.02-1.80), regular analgesia (OR 2.22, 95% CI=1.60-3.09), and chronic illness (OR 2.83, 95% CI=2.12-3.77) were independent risk factors for dyspepsia. Conversely, regular tea drinking (OR 0.59) seemed to have an inverse relationship. Dyspepsia in rural Malaysians is associated with a lower HRQOL. Epidemiological risk factors include a higher socioeconomic status, regular analgesic consumption, and chronic illness.