Comparative study of characteristics and disease management between subjects with frequent and occasional gastro‐oesophageal reflux symptoms

• Published in: Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 607 - 616
• Main Authors: BRETAGNE, J. F., HONNORAT, C., RICHARD‐MOLARD, B., CAEKAERT, A., BARTHÉLEMY, P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2006; Blackwell
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Age Factors; Alginates - administration & dosage; Antacids - administration & dosage; Biological and medical sciences; Digestive system; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination; Esophagus; Female; France - epidemiology; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Gastroesophageal Reflux - drug therapy; Gastroesophageal Reflux - epidemiology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Other diseases. Semiology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Patient Satisfaction; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Population Surveillance - methods; Prevalence; Proton Pump Inhibitors; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors; France; Human; Gastroesophageal reflux; Symptomatology; Clinical management; Treatment; Esophageal disease; Digestive diseases; Frequency; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0269-2813; 1365-2036
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.02811.x

Summary Background  Little is known about the distinctive characteristics of subjects with frequent (at least weekly) and occasional gastro‐oesophageal reflux symptoms. Aim  To compare the characteristics and disease management of subjects complaining of at least weekly and less frequent gastro‐oesophageal reflux symptoms. Methods  Population‐based postal survey carried out in France in 2003 among a representative sample of 8000 subjects. Results  The prevalence of frequent and occasional gastro‐oesophageal reflux symptoms was 7.8% and 23.4%, respectively. Compared to subjects with occasional gastro‐oesophageal reflux symptoms, those with frequent symptoms were older, suffered from more severe symptoms and felt greater impact on daily living, despite a slightly shorter duration of symptoms. These subjects more often sought medical advice. Most of them had treated the last episode of symptoms primarily with a proton‐pump inhibitor and less often with antacids/alginates. The degree of treatment satisfaction was lower in subjects with frequent gastro‐oesophageal reflux symptoms, in relation to a more frequently observed persistence of symptoms irrespective of the medication used except for proton‐pump inhibitors. Conclusions  This survey suggests that subjects complaining of frequent or occasional gastro‐oesophageal reflux symptoms constitute two distinctive groups. Despite greater healthcare use, the former group shows a lower level of satisfaction with disease management. Nevertheless, a substantial subset of subjects with occasional symptoms also complained of impaired health‐related quality of life and sought health care.