Role of anxiety and personality in non-ulcer dyspepsia: a comparative study with duodenal ulcer.

BACKGROUND: Though emotional factors are known to influence gut functions, studies evaluating the role of anxiety and personality in non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) are few and have not yielded consistent results. AIMS: To find out whether anxiety and abnormal personality pattern are specifically associated with NUD. METHODS: 33 patients with NUD and 30 patients with duodenal ulcer, who were randomly selected from among those attending a gastroenterology out-patient clinic, were administered a) the Eyesenck Personality Inventory, to measure neuroticism and extroversion; and b) a short self-rating scale for anxiety, to measure state and trait anxiety. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in state anxiety, neuroticism and extroversion. Trait anxiety, however, was significantly higher in the NUD group (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Though the difference in trait anxiety score between the two groups attained significance, this finding needs further support to indicate a causal role for anxiety in NUD. There is need for further studies about the role of anxiety in various subgroups of NUD.