Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Saudi Arabia

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition when stomach acid comes up into esophagus and induce symptoms or complications. Methods: We enrolled 584 in a cross-sectional community-based study to assess the prevalence of GERD symptoms in Saudi Arabia in addition to determine the risk factors associated with GERD occurrence. Data were conducted and randomly distributed through electronic questionnaire translated by the researchers to the Saudi population. We included the Saudi population above age of 18 years old and we excluded population under age of 18 years from our study. The Questionnaire was about 27 Arabic questions to assess the knowledge, prevalence and associated risk factors related to GERD symptoms. Results: A total of 584 subjects participated in the study from different regions in Saudi Arabia. Most of them were between 18 – 51 age group, majority were females and 57.4 from the west region. The mean height of the sample was 158.57 cm with a standard deviation of 58.72 cm, and the mean weight was 68.28 kg with standard deviation 19.21 kg. Most of the participants have no disease. The majority of the sample participants were non-smokers 84.6%, while there were 12 % of participants were smokers and 3.4 were former smokers. Half of the study group has a family member with GERD. Approximately 50% of the sample were experiencing heartburn or bitterness in the throat.19% of the sample has been diagnosed with GERD. Most of the participants think that taking medications and the type of food alleviates the symptoms of GERD. The most used mediations to relieve the symptoms of GERD are Gaviscon, Nexium, and Pantoprazole. Conclusion: Prevalence of GERD is increasing in our society due to the multiple factors we discussed, mainly lifestyle. These modifiable factors should be highlighted by educating the community and rising awareness about this condition before establishing complications.