title: Epidemiology of globus symptoms and associated psychological factors in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the lifetime prevalence, epidemiological characteristics and psychological factors of globus symptoms in Guangzhou (Guangzhou Province, China).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 3 360 individuals were randomly selected and participated in the study. Respondents completed questionnaires about their physical and psychological characteristics, globus symptomatology and the Glasgow-Edinburgh throat scale questionnaires and quality of sleep and life. Those who had experienced a globus sensation with no history of gastroesophageal reflux disease, dysphagia, odynophagia or alerting symptoms such as weight loss and hoarseness were diagnosed as having globus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 3 006 respondents completed the questionnaires, giving a response rate of 89.5%. The overall lifetime prevalence of globus was 21.5%, with a peak age at disease onset of 35-54 years. The prevalence of globus was higher in participants from the urban region than those from the rural areas (26.5% vs 16.4%, P = 0.001). No sex-related difference was observed (P = 0.082). Anxiety (39.8% vs 22.3%, P = 0.001), depression (31.2% vs 18.0%, P = 0.001) and sleep disorders (23.7% vs 13.6%, P = 0.001) were significantly more common in respondents with globus than in those without. Scores on all dimensions of the 36-item short-form health survey, except physical function, were lower in respondents with globus than in those without (all P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Globus symptoms are common and often accompanied by psychological and sleep disorders. The medical community should pay more attention to globus in clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Hou Da
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Guangzhou Nansha Central Hospital, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Hai Li
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Dong Yun
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Province, China.|Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou Nansha Central Hospital, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Shu Man
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Province, China.|Department of Gastroenterology, Guangzhou Nansha Central Hospital, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D015984:Causality; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D004935:Esophageal Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: anxiety; depression; globus symptoms; quality of life; quality of sleep