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Meta-Analysis
Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 7, 2026; 32(25): 119608
Published online Jul 7, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119608
Association between gastroesophageal reflux disease and functional dyspepsia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Ao Wang, Hong-Jie Cheng, Nai-Wei Zhang, Yan-Mei Cai, Qiao-Yan Zhang, Yi-Pan Guan, Xian-Yang Jiang, Hai-Xia Zeng, Bo-Yi Jia
Ao Wang, Hong-Jie Cheng, Nai-Wei Zhang, Yan-Mei Cai, Qiao-Yan Zhang, Yi-Pan Guan, Xian-Yang Jiang, Hai-Xia Zeng, Bo-Yi Jia, Department of Spleen and Stomach Diseases, Fangshan Traditional Medical Hospital of Beijing, Beijing 102400, China
Author contributions: Wang A, Cheng HJ, and Jia BY participated in the conceptualization, drafted the original manuscript; Wang A developed the software; Wang A, Cheng HJ, Zhang NW, Cai YM, Zhang QY, Guan YP, Jiang XY, Zeng HX, and Jia BY performed the validation, reviewed and edited the manuscript; Jia BY designed the methodology; Wang A and Jia BY conducted the formal analysis; Jia BY supervised the project; and all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: We would like to explain that, prior to submission, our self-check showed an AI detection rate of 25% (as shown in the attachment). After that, we did not use any AI tools; we only sent the manuscript to a language polishing service recommended by the editorial office. We did not recheck the AI rate after the polishing, so we suspect that the increase in the detection rate may be related to the polishing process.
Supported by Capital’s Funds for Health Improvement and Research, No. CFH 2024-4-7075; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82004273; 2026 Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Basic Scientific Research Business Fund Project for New Teacher Start-up Fund; and Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine “New Era 125 Project” Talent Support Program, High-tech Plan and Peak Young Seedling Spring Bud Project.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Bo-Yi Jia, PhD, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Spleen and Stomach Diseases, Fangshan Traditional Medical Hospital of Beijing, No. 4 Chengguan Jianbao Road, Fangshan District, Beijing 102400, China. jiaboyiwilliam@163.com
Received: February 2, 2026
Revised: February 16, 2026
Accepted: April 1, 2026
Published online: July 7, 2026
Processing time: 150 Days and 2.4 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: This meta-analysis integrates the most recent evidence to clarify the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and functional dyspepsia (FD). Pooled results indicate a strong association between GERD and FD, supporting the concept that these disorders frequently overlap in clinical practice. The findings suggest that shared pathophysiological pathways may contribute to co-occurrence, although residual confounding cannot be excluded. Improved recognition of GERD-FD overlap may help optimize evaluation strategies and guide more targeted, mechanism-based management.

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