Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the overlap between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and functional bowel disorders (FBD) in the general population in rural areas in China.
Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in six villages in Nanmazhuang area in Lankao County (Henan Province, China) from December 2010 to October 2011. The GERD questionnaire (GerdQ) and Rome III criteria were used for the diagnosis of GERD and FBD and to determine the prevalence of GERD-FBD overlap.
Results: The response rate to the questionnaires of the patients was 91.5%. In all, 2950 of 3700 residents with a mean age of 42.4 ± 16.8 years were included. Among them, 4.8% were diagnosed with GERD and 4.6% with FBD. The proportion of respondents with FBD was significantly higher in the GERD group than that in the non-GERD group (25.53% vs 3.60%, P < 0.05). The prevalence of GERD in the FBD group was significantly higher than that in the non-FBD group (26.28% vs 3.73%, P < 0.05). The prevalence of GERD-FBD overlap in the general rural population was 1.22%. Logistic regression analysis indicated that anxiety was an independent predictor for the GERD-FBD overlap in GERD and FBD (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.09 and OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.10, respectively).
Conclusion: GERD-FBD overlap is more common than expected by chance in the general rural population, and anxiety is significantly related to the overlap.
Keywords: functional bowel disorder; gastroesophageal reflux; irritable bowel syndrome; overlap; prevalence.
© 2015 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.