PLoS ONE (Jan 2024)

Prevalence and risk factors of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Iran: A cross-sectional analysis from the PERSIAN cohort.

  • Anahita Sadeghi,
  • Paria Boustani,
  • Ali Mehrpour,
  • Ali Ali Asgari,
  • Maryam Sharafkhah,
  • Abbas Yazdanbod,
  • Mohammad Hossein Somi,
  • Azim Nejatizadeh,
  • Farhad Moradpour,
  • Mehdi Rezaeian,
  • Fariborz Mansour-Ghanaei,
  • Arman Shahriari,
  • Mohammad Reza Fattahi,
  • Behrooz Hamzeh,
  • Seyed Vahid Hosseini,
  • Mahmood Kahnooji,
  • Ali Gohari,
  • Mohammadreza Khosravifarsani,
  • Hossein Azadeh,
  • Mohammad Reza Pashaei,
  • Eshagh Moradi Sheibani,
  • Hossein Fallahzadeh,
  • Alireza Bakhshipour,
  • Hossein Poustchi,
  • Reza Malekzadeh

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306223
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 7
p. e0306223

Abstract

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BackgroundThis study assessed the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in a general adult population in Iran. The association between GERD and various factors was also evaluated.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional study on 163,018 individuals aged over 35 who were enrolled in the PERSIAN cohort. GERD was defined as the occurrence of heartburn and/or regurgitation symptoms at least several days a month. Survey design analysis for pooled data was performed and multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the independent risk factors for GERD.ResultsThe prevalence of GERD in our study was estimated at 21.86% (95% confidence interval:17.4%-36.4%). The mean age of the participants was 49.84 years±9.25 (35-70) and 44.75% of the participants were male. Symptoms of heartburn and regurgitation were reported in 18.65% (n: 29,170) and 6.06% (n: 9,717) of participants, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, several factors were found to be associated with a higher prevalence of GERD: female sex, age >50, current smoking, opium use, weekly consumption of fried foods, frequent consumption of hot tea, less than 6 hours of sleep per night, psychiatric disorders, usage of NSAIDs, and poor oral hygiene, were associated with a higher prevalence of GERD. Conversely, higher education levels and average physical activity were found to be less commonly associated with GERD.ConclusionWe found a relatively high prevalence of GERD (21.86%) in this population-based study in Iran. By identifying modifiable risk factors, this research offers opportunities for targeted interventions and lifestyle modifications to reduce the burden of GERD.