Abstract
SELF-REPORTED DYSPEPSIA AMONG PRE-CLINICAL MEDICAL STUDENTS IN AJMAN, UAE

Prevalence of self-reported dyspepsia in the Middle East has not received as much research attention as treatment of H.Pylori. Dyspepsia is a term that is often used to characterize abdominal pain, which is centered in the epigastrium and often combined with other gastrointestinal disorders. The determination of prevalence of dyspepsia among pre-clinical students of a medical college in UAE and to determine the association of dyspepsia with socio-demographic factors, physical and academic environment. The study was conducted among 176 preclinical students to assess the prevalence of self-reported dyspepsia with respect to socio-demographic characteristics, physical and academic environment at the university. A crosssectional study was conducted from September 2013 to March 2014. The preclinical students registered with a university in the UAE were the study population. Both male and female medical students of years one to three who are 18 or above, participated in our research – excluding those who declined to participate. A self-administered questionnaire was developed after an extensive review of literature. In data analysis, the statistical tests used were „Chi-square test‟ of association and „binary logistic regression method‟ to find most predictive factor of dyspepsia. Out of 201 pre-clinical medical students, 176 participated in our research, a response rate of 87.5%. Of this, 77 (43.8%) participants were found to have dyspepsia. The age group of less than 20 tended to have more prevalence for dyspepsia. Male gender was more exposed to dyspepsia than females. Enrolment wise, 2012 batch reported a higher number of dyspepsia. There was more prevalence of dyspepsia in married and non-Arabs than singles and Arabs. Among the total participants, 77 were reported to have dyspepsia. Among the associated socio-demographic, physical and academic factors of dyspepsia, one of the academic factor “unfair work distribution” was found to be the most predictive factor of dyspepsia.