Abstract

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most frequent disorders in daily clinical practice with numerous associated consequences. A large number of studies were conducted to determine the prevalence of GERD and its associated risk factors which led to inconsistent results. The present study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of GERD and its related risk factors in north of Iran. Nine hundred and thirty-three educated participants aged 18-77 years who had at least a High School Diploma were enrolled in the present study. Validated Persian version of Gastroesopahageal reflux questionnaire was used to collect the data. To determine the GERD associated risk factors, logistic regression was performed. The prevalence of GERD was 53.5 (frequent GERD: 12.1 ). Among seven potential risk factors, the positive history of reflux in first relatives (OR = 2.37, CI = 1.76-3.20, p value < 0.001) and asthma (OR = 2.605, CI = 1.553-4.368, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with GERD. Spouse history of GERD in interaction with first relatives history of GERD and smoking was significantly associated with GERD too. The prevalence of GERD is increasing in our country compared to previus studies, which may lead to serious increment of malignant conditions such as esophagus adenocarcinoma.