BACKGROUND/AIMS Functional dyspepsia (FD) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, and FD imposes social and economic burden worldwide. The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence and risk factors of FD in health check-up population in tertiary centers in Korea.

METHODS A nationwide multicenter prospective study was performed at 9 tertiary healthcare centers in Korea between September 2016 and June 2017. A total of 2525 subjects were investigated based on endoscopic findings and questionnaires with the Rome III criteria, and Helicobacter pylori serology (IgG).

RESULTS A total of 1714 subjects without organic disease were enrolled. The mean (± SD) age was 51.5 (± 12.7) years, and 917 patients (53.5%) were female. The proportion of H. pylori seropositivity was 51.0% (874/1714). The prevalence of FD was 10.3% (176/1714), and the subtypes of postprandial distress syndrome alone, epigastric pain syndrome alone, and postprandial distress syndrome-epigastric pain syndrome overlap were 4.8%, 3.0%, and 2.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that female gender (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.14-2.21) and education below college level (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.01-2.07) were related to FD. Multivariate analysis based on age 60 showed female gender as a significant (OR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.06-7.94) factor in the group ≥ 60 years.

CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of FD was 10.3% in the health check-up population in Korea. Female sex and education below college level were risk factors for FD. Female sex is a risk factor for FD in old age, underscoring the need for close attention in this age group.