Prevalence and determinants of frequent gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in the Australian community

  1. N. Pandeya1,2,*,
  2. A. C. Green2,
  3. D. C. Whiteman2,
  4. for the Australian Cancer Study†

Article first published online: 30 NOV 2011

DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-2050.2011.01287.x

Issue

Diseases of the Esophagus

Diseases of the Esophagus

Volume 25, Issue 7, pages 573–583, September/October 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Pandeya, N., Green, A. C., Whiteman, D. C. and for the Australian Cancer Study (2012), Prevalence and determinants of frequent gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in the Australian community. Diseases of the Esophagus, 25: 573–583. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2050.2011.01287.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    School of Population Health, The University of Queensland

  2. 2

    Queensland Institute of Medical Research, P O Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia

  1. †

    The Australian Cancer Study: Oesophageal Cancer:

*Dr Nirmala Pandeya, BSc, MMedSc, PhD, School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Public Health Building, University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia. Email: n.pandeya1@uq.edu.au

  1. †

    The Australian Cancer Study: Oesophageal Cancer:

  2. Investigators: David C. Whiteman, MBBS, PhD; Penelope M. Webb, MA, D Phil; Adele C. Green, MBBS, PhD; Nicholas K. Hayward, PhD; Peter G. Parsons, PhD; David M. Purdie, PhD.

  3. Clinical collaborators: B. Mark Smithers, FRACS; David Gotley, FRACS, PhD; Andrew Clouston, FRACP, PhD; Ian Brown, FRACP. Project Manager: Suzanne Moore, RN, MPH.

  4. Database: Karen Harrap, BIT, Troy Sadkowski, BIT.

  5. Research nurses: Suzanne O'Brien, RN, MPH; Ellen Minehan, RN; Deborah Roffe, RN; Sue O'Keefe, RN; Suzanne Lipshut, RN; Gabby Connor, RN; Hayley Berry, RN; Frances Walker, RN; Teresa Barnes, RN; Janine Thomas, RN; Linda Terry, RN, MPH; Michael Connard, B Sc; Leanne Bowes, B Sc; Mary Rose Malt, RN; Jo White, RN.

  6. Clinical Contributors:

  7. Australian Capital Territory: Charles Mosse, FRACS, Noel Tait, FRACS.

  8. New South Wales: Chris Bambach, FRACS, Andrew Biankan, FRACS, Roy Brancatisano, FRACS, Max Coleman, FRACS, Michael Cox, FRACS, Stephen Deane, FRACS, Gregory L. Falk, FRACS, James Gallagher, FRACS, Mike Hollands, FRACS, Tom Hugh, FRACS, David Hunt, FRACS, John Jorgensen, FRACS, Christopher Martin, FRACS, Mark Richardson, FRACS, Garrett Smith, FRACS, Ross Smith, FRACS, David Storey, FRACS.

  9. Queensland: John Avramovic, FRACS, John Croese, FRACP, Justin D'Arcy, FRACS, Stephen Fairley, FRACP, John Hansen, FRACS, John Masson, FRACP, Les Nathanson, FRACS, Barry O'Loughlin, FRACS, Leigh Rutherford, FRACS, Richard Turner, FRACS, Morgan Windsor, FRACS.

  10. South Australia: Justin Bessell, FRACS, Peter Devitt, FRACS, Glyn Jamieson, FRACS, David Watson, FRACS.

  11. Victoria: Stephen Blamey, FRACS, Alex Boussioutas, FRACP, Richard Cade, FRACS, Gary Crosthwaite, FRACS, Ian Faragher, FRACS, John Gribbin, FRACS, Geoff Hebbard, FRACP, George Kiroff, FRACS, Bruce Mann, FRACS, Bob Millar, FRACS, Paul O'Brien, FRACS, Robert Thomas, FRACS, Simon Wood, FRACS.

  12. Western Australia: Steve Archer, FRACS, Kingsley Faulkner, FRACS, Jeff Hamdorf, FRACS.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 13 SEP 2012
  2. Article first published online: 30 NOV 2011

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Keywords:

  • body mass index;
  • cross-sectional survey;
  • gastroesophageal reflux;
  • non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

SUMMARY

Frequent gastroesophageal reflux (GER) causes chronic inflammation and damages esophageal mucosa, which can lead to Barrett's esophagus. It has also been consistently found to be a strong risk factor for esophageal adenocarcinoma. The prevalence of GER appears to vary; however, population-based Australian studies investigating the symptoms are limited. This study aimed to estimate the population prevalence and identify the determinants of frequent GER symptoms in the Australian population. Self-reported information on the frequency of reflux symptoms were collected from 1,580 adults from a population register. We estimated age- and sex-standardized prevalence of occasional (<weekly) and frequent (≥weekly) GER symptoms in the Australian population. We also estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) for GER symptoms associated with demographic and lifestyle characteristics. The standardized prevalences of GER symptoms were 10.4% and 38.3% for frequent and occasional symptoms, respectively. Compared with participants with body mass index <25, those with body mass index ≥35 had almost 90% higher prevalence of frequent GER symptoms (PR 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13–3.16). Similarly, the prevalence of frequent GER symptoms was significantly higher among regular users of aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs than never users (PR 1.71; 95%CI 1.08–3.16) and regular consumers of medium to well-done barbecued meat (PR 1.75; 95%CI 1.10–2.80) or fried food (PR 2.69; 95%CI 1.66–4.35). The prevalence of frequent GER symptoms was significantly lowered with regular physical activity (PR 0.46; 95%CI 0.32–0.66) and Helicobacter pylori infection (PR 0.53; 95%CI 0.35–0.80). We found no evidence that frequent GER symptoms were associated with smoking, alcohol, spicy food, or coffee consumption. Our results confirm that GER symptoms are common and that frequent GER symptoms are associated with a range of modifiable lifestyle factors.

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