Evidence map›Paper›PMID 11413112›Full record

ArticleGut2001

Low socioeconomic class is a risk factor for upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms: a population based study in 15 000 Australian adults.

P Bytzer, S Howell, M Leemon, L J Young, M P Jones, N J Talley

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Gut, 2001. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
50citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

50 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 156 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Unravelling the spine-gut-pain connection: chronic musculoskeletal pain and digestive dysfunction in a large-scale population-based cohort of 110,685 individuals.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

P BytzerDepartment of Medicine, University of Sydney, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, Australia.
S Howell
M Leemon
L J Young
M P Jones
N J Talley
Nepean Hospital · AUUniversity of Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe association of social class with health has been extensively studied, yet relationships between social class and gastrointestinal symptoms remain almost unexplored.

aimsTo examine relationships between social class and gastrointestinal symptoms in a population sample.

methodsThe prevalence of 16 troublesome gastrointestinal symptoms was determined by a postal questionnaire sent to 15 000 subjects (response rate 60%) and compared with a validated composite measure of socioeconomic status (index of relative socioeconomic disadvantage). Comparisons across social class were explored for five symptom categories (oesophageal symptoms; upper dysmotility symptoms; bowel symptoms; diarrhoea; and constipation). Results are reported as age standardised rate ratios with the most advantaged social class as the reference category.

resultsThere were clear trends for the prevalence rates of all gastrointestinal symptoms to increase with decreasing social class. These trends were particularly strong for the five symptom categories. Lower social class was associated with a significantly (p<0.0001) higher number of symptoms reported overall and with a higher proportion of individuals reporting 1-2 symptoms and more than five symptoms. In both sexes, the most pronounced effects for subjects in the lowest social class were found for constipation (males: rate ratio 1.83 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.16-2.51); females: rate ratio 1.68 (95% CI 1.31-2.04)) and upper dysmotility symptoms (males: rate ratio 1.45 (95% CI 1.02-1.88); females: rate ratio 1.35 (95% CI 1.07-1.63)). Oesophageal symptoms and diarrhoea were not associated with social class.

conclusionsTroublesome gastrointestinal symptoms are linked to socioeconomic status with more symptoms reported by subjects in low socioeconomic classes. Low socioeconomic class should be considered a risk factor for both upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms.

Indexed as

Social ClassAdultBinomial DistributionConstipationCross-Sectional StudiesDiarrheaEsophageal DiseasesFemaleGastrointestinal DiseasesGastrointestinal MotilityHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew South WalesPrevalenceRisk Factors

Identifiers

PMID11413112
PMCPMC1728377
OpenAlexW2097844643

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.