Wickramasinghe N, Devanarayana NM. Insight into global burden of gastroesophageal reflux disease: Understanding its reach and impact. World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther 2025; 16(1): 97918 [PMID: 40094147 DOI: 10.4292/wjgpt.v16.i1.97918]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Niranga Manjuri Devanarayana, PhD, Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Thalagolla Road, Ragama 11010, Western Province, Sri Lanka. niranga@kln.ac.lk
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Nilanka Wickramasinghe, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo 00800, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Niranga Manjuri Devanarayana, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama 11010, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Author contributions: Wickramasinghe N and Devanarayana NM wrote the main manuscript text and prepared the figures and tables.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Niranga Manjuri Devanarayana, PhD, Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Thalagolla Road, Ragama 11010, Western Province, Sri Lanka. niranga@kln.ac.lk
Received: June 12, 2024 Revised: October 29, 2024 Accepted: December 10, 2024 Published online: March 5, 2025 Processing time: 263 Days and 18.1 Hours
Abstract
The exact worldwide prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) remains uncertain, despite its recognition as a common condition. This conundrum arises primarily from the lack of a standardized definition for GERD. The gold standard diagnostic tests for GERD, such as pH impedance testing and endoscopy, are cumbersome and impractical for assessing community prevalence. Consequently, most epidemiological studies rely on symptom-based screening tools. GERD symptoms can be both esophageal and extraesophageal, varying widely among individuals. This variability has led to multiple symptom-based definitions of GERD, with no consensus, resulting in prevalence estimates ranging from 5% to 25% worldwide. Most systematic reviews define GERD as experiencing heartburn and/or regurgitation at least once weekly, yielding a calculated prevalence of 13.98%. In 2017, the global age-standardized prevalence of GERD was estimated at 8819 per 100000 people (95% confidence interval: 7781-9863), a figure that has remained stable from 1990 to 2017. Prevalence increases with age, leading to more years lived with disability. GERD significantly impairs quality of life and can lead to multiple complications. Additionally, it imposes a severe economic burden, with the United States alone estimated to spend around 10 billion dollars annually on diagnosis and treatment. In summary, GERD prevalence varies greatly by region and even within different areas of the same province. Determining the exact prevalence is challenging due to inconsistent diagnostic criteria. However, it is well-documented that GERD poses a significant global burden, affecting the quality of life of individuals and creating a substantial healthcare cost.
Core Tip: Globally, the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and GERD symptoms vary depending from country to country and region to region. Defining GERD and pinpointing its prevalence are problematic due to its diagnostic issues. However, understanding the differences in prevalence will help us identify the differences in associated risk factors, such as genetics and diet, that lead to an individual’s susceptibility to suffering from GERD and its symptoms.
