Comparative study of characteristics and disease management between subjects with frequent and occasional gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the distinctive characteristics of subjects with frequent (at least weekly) and occasional gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the characteristics and disease management of subjects complaining of at least weekly and less frequent gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms.


METHODS
Population-based postal survey carried out in France in 2003 among a representative sample of 8000 subjects.


RESULTS
The prevalence of frequent and occasional gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms was 7.8% and 23.4%, respectively. Compared to subjects with occasional gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms, those with frequent symptoms were older, suffered from more severe symptoms and felt greater impact on daily living, despite a slightly shorter duration of symptoms. These subjects more often sought medical advice. Most of them had treated the last episode of symptoms primarily with a proton-pump inhibitor and less often with antacids/alginates. The degree of treatment satisfaction was lower in subjects with frequent gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms, in relation to a more frequently observed persistence of symptoms irrespective of the medication used except for proton-pump inhibitors.


CONCLUSIONS
This survey suggests that subjects complaining of frequent or occasional gastro-oesophageal reflux symptoms constitute two distinctive groups. Despite greater healthcare use, the former group shows a lower level of satisfaction with disease management. Nevertheless, a substantial subset of subjects with occasional symptoms also complained of impaired health-related quality of life and sought health care.
Service des Maladies de l'Appareil Digestif, Hôpital Pontchaillou, Rennes, France. jean-francois.bretagne@chu-rennes.fr
J F
JF
Bretagne
C
C
Honnorat
B
B
Richard-Molard
A
A
Caekaert
P
P
Barthélemy
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000464:Alginates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000863:Antacids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors
D000464:Alginates; D000863:Antacids; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors