title: Prevalence of symptoms of gastroesopahgeal reflux in a cohort of Saudi Arabians: a study of 1265 subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in the general population of the capital city of Riyadh and to assess its association with other factors including age, smoking, body mass index (BMI), asthma, as well as the presence of other co-morbid diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GerdQ) for diagnosing GERD, based on a GerdQ score of 8 or more. Riyadh was divided into four quadrants, and from each area, a single shopping mall was chosen randomly to conduct our surveys. Data collected included age, sex, history of smoking, history of asthma or any other medical condition, dietary habits, monthly household income, history and frequency of heartburn, epigastric pain, regurgitation of food, nausea, sleep disturbance from heartburn, the use of common over-the-counter antacids for the control of their symptoms, and their height and weight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a 4-week period from the 19 December 2012 to 17 January 2013, a total of 1265 individuals were included in the survey. The mean age was 29.97 ± 11.58 years. Females formed 67.81% of the respondents and 62.73% had one or more episodes of heartburn per week. Based on a cutoff GERDQ score of 8, the prevalence of GERD in the surveyed population was 45.4%. GERD was more prevalent in older individuals (mean age 31.9 vs. 30.0 years, P < 0.001) and in those with a higher BMI (27.29 vs. 26.31 kg/m 2 , P = 0.02). There was no difference between males (45.43%) and females (45.13%) (P = 0.92); there was a trend of a higher prevalence in smokers (51.63% vs. 44.41%), but it did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.09).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Symptoms suggestive of GERD as determined by the translated GerdQ are prevalent among this study population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Division of Gastroenterology, The McGill University Health Center, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, .
authors.forename: Majid A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Almadi
authors.forename: Maitha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Almousa
authors.forename: Amani F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Althwainy
authors.forename: Afnan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Altamimi
authors.forename: Hala O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Alamoudi
authors.forename: Hiba S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Alshamrani
authors.forename: Othman R
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Alharbi
authors.forename: Nahla A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Azzam
authors.forename: Nazia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sadaf
authors.forename: Abdulrahman M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Aljebreen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult