Gut-Brain Disorders Show Increase in Post-Pandemic Era

A study conducted in the United Kingdom and United States has revealed a statistically significant increase in the prevalence and burden of disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, investigators reported in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Using an internet-based survey with demographic quotas, researchers applied the Rome IV diagnostic criteria to cohorts in 2017 (n = 4050) and 2023 (n = 4002) to assess changes over time. The prevalence of DGBI increased from 38.3% before the pandemic to 42.6% post-pandemic (OR 1.20; 95% CI, 1.09–1.31), with consistent findings across both countries. Esophageal (8.8% to 10.1%; OR 1.16), gastroduodenal (11.9% to 16.4%; OR 1.45), and bowel disorders (30.1% to 32.5%; OR 1.12) showed domain-specific rises. Among individual diagnoses, functional dyspepsia rose from 8.3% to 11.9% (OR 1.48), and irritable bowel syndrome from 4.7% to 6.0% (OR 1.31).

Multivariable analysis identified several predictors of DGBI in the post-pandemic period: younger age, female sex, anxiety, depression, medium-to-high somatic symptom severity, greater number of COVID-19 infections, gastrointestinal symptoms during infection, and presence of long COVID.

Compared with individuals with DGBI before the pandemic, post-pandemic patients—particularly those with long COVID—reported significantly lower quality of life, more mood disturbances, greater somatic symptom burden, and higher health care utilization.

These results suggest that the pandemic has had a measurable population-level impact on the development and severity of DGBI. 

Reference:

Palsson O, Simren M, Sperber AD, Bangdiwala S, Hreinsson JP, Aziz I. The prevalence and burden of disorders of gut-brain interaction before versus after the COVID-19 pandemic. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. Published online July 30, 2025