Gastrointestinal symptoms in officers and men of a certain Chinese air force unit

Objective To investigate the gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in officers and men of a certain Chinese air force unit. Methods The symptoms and diagnosis of functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) in off icers and men of a certain Chinese air force unit were investigated with questionnaires according to the Rome III criteria by multi-layer, stratif ied and cluster sampling. Results Of the 5, 800 issued questionnaires, 5, 423 were returned with a response rate of 93.5% and 4, 954 were eligible with an eligible rate of 91.3%.The total incidence of GI symptoms in off icers and men of the Chinese air force unit was 73.2% (3, 630/4, 954)and the highest incidence was 85.6% in those aged 35-40 years.The incidence of constipation, sensation globus, upper abdominal distention, abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, chest pain, early satiety, regurgitation, diarrhea, belching, heartburn, upper abdominal pain, vomiting, anal pain, dysphagia and fecal incontinence was 54.6% (2, 707/4, 954), 33.5% (1, 658/4, 954), 22.2% (1, 102/4, 954), 21.5% (1, 067/4, 954), 19.9% (987/4, 954), 19.1% (947/4, 954), 17.6% (870/4, 954), 16.3% (805/4, 954), 15.6%(774/4, 954), 14.3 % (708/4, 954), 13.5% (670/4, 954), 13.4% (665/4, 954), 11.2% (553/4, 954), 10.9% (542/4, 954)，9.6% (475/4, 954), 8.6% (426/4, 954) and 3.4% (168/4, 954), respectively. Conclusion The total incidence of GI symptoms is high in off icers and men of the Chinese air force unit and highest in those aged 35-40 years.Constipation, globus sensation, upper abdominal distention, abdominal bloating and abdominal pain are the common GI symptoms.