ABSTRACT
Background: Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD] is increasing worldwide. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of GERD in Pars Cohort Study [PCS] and to find its correlates
Methods: We used the baseline data from PCS. PCS was conducted in the district of Valashahr in Fars province in southern Iran from 2012 to 2014. 9264 inhabitants who were 40-75 years old, and agreed to participate were enrolled. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire and simple physical examination of all participants
Results: Generally, 58.50% [95% CI 57.49 - 59.51] of the participants had GERD and 25.10% [95% CI 24.22 - 25.99] experienced it at least weekly. Approximately, 32.0%, 52.0%, and 24.4% of the participants reported heart burn sensation, regurgitation, and both symptoms, respectively. Being female [OR: 1.45, 95% CI 1.27 - 1.65], being older [OR: 1.20, 95% CI 1.06 - 1.36], being divorced/ widowed/separated [OR: 1.38, 95% CI 1.01 - 1.91], and lower education [OR: 1.43, 95% CI 1.02 - 2.03] were associated with frequent GERD
Conclusion: GERD is common in PCS and its prevalence is close to that in western countries. Being female, higher age, being divorced/widowed/separated, lower education, history of hypertension, anxiety, insomnia, and non-cigarette tobacco smoking were associated with frequent GERD. We are going to investigate the causal relationship between these risk factors and GERD in the next stages of PCS