title: The prevalence of symptoms suggestive of esophageal disorders.
abstract: A questionnaire study was conducted to assess the prevalence and severity of symptoms suggestive of esophageal disorders in a general population. The study included 407 randomly selected subjects, evenly distributed in terms of sex and age, within the age span of 20-79 years. A total of 337 subjects replied (85%). Symptoms suggestive of gastroesophageal reflux were found among 25% of the participants. Cough on swallowing was common (27%), as was globus (16%) and chest pain (13%). In addition, dysphagia was reported by 10% and vomiting by 9%. The symptoms were usually mild, and moderate to severe symptoms were reported only occasionally (1-4%). No statistical correlation was found between esophageal symptoms and age, sex, or the reported consumption of tobacco, alcohol, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The frequency of heartburn and/or acid regurgitation was twice as common among those with symptoms of respiratory disease as among those with no respiratory complaints. A stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that a chronic cough and/or breathing difficulties were significantly related to the presence of symptoms suggestive of gastroesophageal reflux.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, Sahlgren's Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruth
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Månsson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sandberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology