A population-based survey of adults has found that people with diabetes have significantly more gastrointestinal symptoms than people without the condition. While this has been thought to be the case, this is the first large-scale study to quantify the incidence.

Questionnaires were sent to 15,000 adults in Australia asking about a number of troublesome symptoms of both the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Of the 8,657 individuals who responded, 4.9% reported having diabetes, mostly type 2 diabetes. All of the symptoms were more frequent in those with diabetes than in the controls. Further, the symptoms were more common among those with poorer levels of glycemic control. The prevalence was not linked to the duration of diabetes or the type of treatment the patient was receiving.

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