Investigating the Prevalence of Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Related Factors Using the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index in an Endoscopy Cohort in Latvia

Symptoms of gastroparesis (GP) and functional dyspepsia often overlap, and it is unclear whether Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection or other common clinical factors are linked to specific symptom profiles. We therefore aimed to assess whether H. pylori, demographic factors and diabetes are associated with dyspepsia and dysmotility-type symptom scores. In this retrospective cross-sectional study of 951 adults undergoing upper endoscopy, participants completed the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index-Daily Diary (ANMS GCSI-DD), and composite scores were created for D-PDS (dyspepsia — postprandial distress syndrome), D-EPS (dyspepsia — epigastric pain syndrome), and GP-like (nausea/vomiting) symptoms. By using multivariable analysis, we examined associations between these symptom scores and H. pylori infection, age, sex, body mass index, diabetes, erosive reflux esophagitis, and hiatal hernia. Female sex and younger age were associated with higher symptom severity across all domains, while diabetes was selectively associated with higher dysmotility-type scores (GP-like and D-PDS) and moderate-to-severe overall symptom burden, but not D-EPS. After adjustment for other factors, H. pylori, erosive reflux esophagitis and hiatal hernia were not associated with higher symptom scores, suggesting that upper gastrointestinal symptom severity in this cohort was driven primarily by female sex, younger age, and diabetes rather than by H. pylori infection or endoscopically detected disease.