Diagnosis of psychovegetative disorders in adolescents with diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract

Aim. To develop a method of diagnosing psychovegetative disorders in adolescents with diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Methods. Examined were 120 adolescents. The main group - 90 adolescents with diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract (mean age 15.9±2.5 years): extroverts (the first group - 31 people), centroverts (the second group - 37 people), introverts (the third group - 22 people). The control group - 30 practically healthy adolescents aged 14 to 18 years: 18 boys and 12 girls. This group included examined individuals, who did not report any complaints to the state of health, without chronic somatic and neuropsychiatric diseases in the anamnesis, with no deviations in the physical status. Conduced were clinical examination, determined was the level of extra-introversion, stomach acid-producing function, the nature of autonomic regulation, assessed was the psycho-emotional state, conducted was fibroesophagogastroduodenoscopy, ultrasound investigation of the liver, biliary tract, pancreas, stomach and duodenum. Results. Introverts had an unfavorable course of the diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract. All patients of this group were diagnosed was duodenal ulcers; often several parts of the digestive system were involved in the pathological process. The most common and severe symptoms were heartburn, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, in 65.7% of patients revealed was an increase in acid production, in 86.4% - Helicobacter pylori infection. Autonomic regulation was characterized by vagotonia. Hypertrophic diffuse gastroduodenitis and duodenal erosions were diagnosed in extroverts. The main clinical syndrome was pain, established were moderate disturbances of the acidity of the gastric juice (in 43.5% of patients of this group), and Helicobacter pylori infection (48.4%). Autonomic regulation was characterized by sympathicotonia. Among centroverts the diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract had a very mild course, most often superficial gastroduodenitis was present. Among the clinical symptoms flatulence was often reported. Compared with other groups disturbances of the acidity of gastric juice (15.3%) and Helicobacter pylori infection (18.9%) were reported with less frequency. Autonomic regulation was characterized by autonomic dysfunction of both vagotonic and sympathicotonic types. Conclusion. The data on personality characteristics (Eysenck’s questionnaire), psycho-emotional state (I.D. Spielberger test) and autonomic regulation (variation cardiointervalography) can be used in predicting the course of diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract in adolescents.

cardiointervalography, fibroesophagogastroduodenoscopy, introversion, extroversion, centroversion