Gastro-esophageal reflux symptoms and body mass index: no relation among the Iranian population.

An association between obesity and symptoms of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been frequently reported in western societies. A recent study indicated a consistent association between abdominal diameter and reflux-type symptoms in the white population, but no consistent association in the black population or Asians. It is unclear whether an association persists after adjusting for known risk factors of GERD among Asian populations. We did a population-based, cross-sectional interview study to estimate the strength of association between body mass and symptoms of reflux. During interviews, participants completed a valid gastro-esophageal reflux questionnaire. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), calculated by logistic regression with multivariate adjustments for covariates, were the measures of association. Symptoms of reflux at least once a week over the past 3 months were reported by 522 (9.1%) of the 5733 interviewees. Among those who were overweight or obese (BMI> 25 kg/m2), the OR of having symptoms of reflux was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.66-1.16) compared with those who were not overweight or obese. Thus, among Asians, symptoms of GERD occur independently of body mass index.

Frequency of three common mutations of CARD15/NOD2 gene in Iranian IBD patients.

BACKGROUND: The CARD15/NOD2 gene, located on the pericentromeric region of chromosome 16 (IBD1) has been reported to have an association with IBD, especially Crohn's disease. Three common mutations of CARD15 are variably associated with Crohn's disease in different ethnic groups. We evaluated the frequency of these mutations (R702W, G908R and 1007fsinsC) in Iranian IBD patients and compared it with the healthy control population. METHODS: One hundred patients with ulcerative colitis, 40 patients with Crohn's disease, and 100 sex- and age-matched controls were enrolled from a tertiary center during a one-year period (2005-2006). The three mutations were assessed in DNA of leukocytes by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: The frequency of R702W mutation was significantly higher in Iranian patients with Crohn's disease (p< 0.001; OR 19.21; 95% CI 4.23-87.32) compared to healthy controls. No association was observed between the other mutations and Crohn's disease and none of these mutations was associated with ulcerative colitis. CONCLUSION: The R702W mutation of CARD15 gene was associated with Crohn's disease in the Iranian population.