PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE (GERD) IN ADULT KASHMIRI POPULATION

Objective: The study was conducted with the objective of studying the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and to study various factors associated with it in adult Kashmiri population. Methods: It was a community based prospective cross-sectional observational study conducted by the Department of Medicine and Gastroenterology, GMC Srinagar over a period of 24 mo upon native Kashmiris from urban as well as rural areas as a study group. A total of 2600 subjects above the age of 18 y were studied and the overall prevalence of disease was calculated and also the associated (risk) factors were looked for. Results: The overall prevalence of 20.3% was seen in the study population with female gender being more prone to the development of disease (pu003c0.001). Other factors of greater significance included body mass index (BMI), smoking, physical activity, intake of spicy foods, posture after meals, dinner to sleep time, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) intake and some underlying ailments like asthma and history of abdominal surgery. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of GERD in Kashmiri community is 20.3% with females being more prone with a definite role of factors like BMI, smoking, physical activity, posture after meals, dinner to sleep time interval, intake of spicy foods, drugs and also the co-morbidities.