De Luca et al evaluated a severity index for patients with dyspepsia. This can be used to evaluate a patient and to determine the effect of an intervention. The authors are from the University of Bologna in Italy and Dalhousie University in Canada.
Symptoms evaluated:
(1) epigastric pain
(2) pain before meals or when hungry
(3) pain relieved by antacids and/or food
(4) abdominal pain or discomfort
(5) feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen
(6) discomfort in the upper abdomen
(7) heartburn
(8) acid regurgitation
Severity
Points
none
1
mild
2
moderate
3
severe
4
very severe
5
Frequency
Points
rare
1
less than twice a week
2
multiple times per week but not daily
3
daily, intermittent
4
daily, almost continuous
5
score for each symptom =
= (points for severity) * (points for frequency)
global symptom index =
= SUM(score for all 8 symptoms)
mean global symptoms index (MGSI) =
= (global symptom scale) / 8
Interpretation:
• minimum MGSI: 1
• maximum MGSI: 25
• The higher the MGSI the impact of the dyspepsia on the patient.
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