Gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Autonomic gastrointestinal dysfunction affects roughly one-third of people with multiple sclerosis.
Gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Gastrointestinal (gastrointestinal) symptoms and disorders are frequently reported in multiple sclerosis (multiple sclerosis), but the evidence remains fragmented and highly diverse.
Eligible studies included observational and interventional designs that reported gastrointestinal symptoms or diseases in multiple sclerosis.
nearly a third of multiple sclerosis patients have autonomic gut dysfunction
When analyzed by anatomical domains, lower gastrointestinal symptoms and disorders were more frequent than upper gastrointestinal manifestations (28.9% vs 11.5%).
In case-control analyses, pwMS had significantly higher odds of autonomic gastrointestinal dysfunction compared with controls (OR 3.26 [95% CI 1.81-5.86]).
Substantial between-study heterogeneity was present across all analyses.
Autonomic gastrointestinal involvement is a common and clinically important aspect of multiple sclerosis.
Marked heterogeneity reflects differences in assessment methods and populations, supporting the view of pooled estimates as general indicators and emphasizing the need for standardized outcome definitions and structured clinical screening.