title: Extraesophageal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are known to be frequent in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to gain a first estimation of the occurrence of extraesophageal symptoms in this context.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective longitudinal study was performed on 166 pregnant women and in a control group of 285 women. The diagnosis of GERD was based on the Montreal classification using the reflux disease questionnaire (RDQ). Extraesophageal symptoms were recorded with a self-administered questionnaire. Typical GERD symptoms and extraesophageal GERD symptoms were recorded in each trimester of pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of GERD during pregnancy was 16.9% in the first, 25.3% in the second and 51.2% in the third trimester. The prevalence of GERD in the control group was 6.3%. Asthma was reported by 3.5% of controls and by 6% of pregnant women during pregnancy. Chest pain occurred in 6% of the controls and in 1.8%, 2.4% and 2.4% during the trimesters of pregnancy, chronic cough was reported by 1.1% of controls and 1.2% of pregnant women. With the diagnosis of GERD the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for asthma, chronic cough and chest pain in the third trimester of pregnancy were as follows: 1.56 (0.58-4.22) for asthma, 0.91 (0.08-10.28) for chronic cough and 2.04 (0.49-8.46) for chest pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GERD is very frequent during pregnancy with progressive incidence during the course of pregnancy. Extraesophageal symptoms of GERD have an unexpected low prevalence during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Innere Medizin 2, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malfertheiner
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Hepatologie und Infektiologie, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malfertheiner
authors.affiliation: Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Pneumologie, Barmherzige Brüder, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pfeifer
authors.affiliation: Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Universitätsklinikum, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.affiliation: Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Universitätsklinikum, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seelbach-Göbel
authors.affiliation: Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Universitätsklinikum, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fill Malfertheiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003371:Cough / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D063189:Symptom Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data