Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are the most common complaint among individuals with diabetes. This study investigated the prevalence of upper, lower, and general GI symptoms in individuals with and without diabetes among the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in Iran (PERSIAN) Guilan Cohort study (PGCS) population.

This cross-sectional study of PGCS was conducted on 2669 participants, 1364 with diabetes and 1305 without diabetes. The first part of the questionnaire collected demographical and clinical data, and the second part collected GI symptoms. A 4-point Likert Scale was used for each question. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16, and the significance level was considered < 0.05.

The mean age of the participants was 52.24 ± 8.75 years, and 55.5% were female. Patients with diabetes have an increased incidence of upper GI symptoms (aOR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.00-1.42, P=0.045) compared to individuals without diabetes. The most common upper GI symptom in patients with diabetes compared to those without diabetes was belching (18.6% vs. 14.9%, P=0.009).

The prevalence of GI symptoms was high in both patients with and without diabetes, and the chance of developing GI upper symptoms was higher in patients with diabetes.