Risk factors of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Shiraz, southern Iran

Table 1 Frequency of GERD symptoms and their correlation with different characteristics of subjects in Shiraz, Southern Iran (n = 1978)

Characteristics		GERD Symptoms (%)		P value
		Present	Absent
Gender	Male	12.3	87.7	0.003
	Female	17.3	82.7
Habitat	Urban	13	87	0.001
	Rural	19.8	80.2
	Illiterate	21.5	78.5
Education	Primary school	16.1	83.9	< 0.001
	High school	13.6	86.4
	University	12.3	87.7
Physical activity	No	14.8	85.2	0.373
	Yes	16.3	83.7
Psychological distress	No	14.9	85.1	0.003
	Yes	27.2	72.8
Recurrent headache	No	14.7	85.3	0.009
	Yes	22	78
Past GI disease history	No	13.3	86.7	< 0.001
	Yes	22.3	77.7
	Thin	10.5	89.5
Body mass index	Normal	15.7	84.3	0.065
	Overweight	13.4	86.6
	Obese	18.8	81.2
Age (mean) (yr)		50.25	49.83	0.547

GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Table 2 Prevalence of GERD in relation to lifestyle of subjects in Shiraz, southern Iran (n = 1978)

Life style and dietary habits		GERD symptoms (%)		P value
		Present	Absent
Pickle	Yes	22.1	77.9	< 0.001
	No	12.8	87.2
Salt	No	15	85	0.458
	Yes	16.3	83.7
Fried food	No	24	76	0.005
	Yes	14.8	85.2
Fast food	No	15.7	84.3	0.518
	Yes	14.5	85.5
Fiber (fruit and vegetables)	No	30.2	69.8	< 0.001
	Yes	14.6	85.4
Cigarette	No	15.9	84.1	0.055
	Yes	10.8	89.2
Water pipe	No	14.8	85.2	0.096
	Yes	18.7	81.3
Tea	No	16.1	83.9	0.465
	Yes	14.9	85.1
Coffee	No	15.4	84.6	0.701
	Yes	12.9	87.1
Spirit with meal	No	16.7	83.3	0.095
	Yes	14	86
Water with meal	No	17.6	82.4	0.063
	Yes	14.3	85.7
Alcohol	No	9.7	90.3	0.205
	Yes	15.6	84.4
Feeding duration (min)	< 10	16.5	83.5
	10-20	14.5	85.5	0.519
	> 20	16.1	83.9
Aspirin	No	14.7	85.3	0.02
	Yes	21	79
NSAIDs	No	14.5	85.5	0.067
	Yes	17.9	82.1

GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease; NSAIDs: Non–steroidal anti–inflammatory drugs.

Table 3 Health-seeking behavior of subjects with GERD Symptoms in Shiraz, Southern Iran (n = 1978)

Health-seeking behavior and associated symptoms		GERD Symptoms (%)		P value
		Present	Absent
Restricting diet	No	12.9	87.1	< 0.001
	Yes	20	80
Herbal medicine intake	No	13.2	86.8	0.001
	Yes	19	81
Medication advised by friends	No	15.1	84.9	0.058
	Yes	23.5	76.5
Over-the-counter drugs	No	12.2	87.8	< 0.001
	Yes	29.9	70.1
Visiting physician	No	10.5	89.5	< 0.001
	Yes	24.8	75.2
Halitosis	No	14.2	85.8	0.024
	Yes	18.3	81.7
Dyspepsia	No	8.9	91.1	< 0.001
	Yes	30.6	69.4
Anxiety	No	9.5	90.5	< 0.001
	Yes	19.5	80.5
Nightmare	No	12.1	87.9	< 0.001
	Yes	23.9	76.1
Restlessness	No	10.2	89.8	< 0.001
	Yes	18.5	81.5