a view of gastroesophageal reflux disease: non- specific symptoms

aim : the aim of this study was to describe the frequency of non- specific symptoms of gastro esophageal reflux and association of these symptoms with gastro esophageal reflux disease (gerd) in iranian population. background : gerd is a common gastrointestinal disorder, worldwide. some patients with gerd have no symptoms while others may have non-specific symptoms. patients and methods : this study was designed as a cross-sectional and population based evaluation that was conducted on 782 cases that selected by random sampling in northeast region of tehran province. relation between non-specific symptoms and gerd was assessed using ?2 test. the odds ratios (or) and 95% ci were calculated for each symptom. results : most common non-specific symptom in subjects under study, was abdominal pain with a female preponderance. abdominal pain, globus sensation, cough & dyspnea, and halitosis were statistically associated to gerd. there was no relationship between age and non-specific symptoms. conclusion : in summary, this study showed that non-specific symptoms are common in our country that strongly related to gastro esophageal reflux disease, therefore, these symptoms should be considered as a basic in diagnostic procedure.