Comparisons of Symptoms Reported by Elderly and Non-Elderly Patients With GERD

Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in children, adults, and elderly in the same community

“…Moreover, GERD symptoms are often nonspecific in those subjects, such as weight loss, cough, anorexia, and food refusal . In contrast, the predominant symptoms in older children (6–17 years) are regurgitation, vomiting, epigastric pain, and heartburn, with heartburn and regurgitation predominant, which are typically shown in adult patients with GERD . In addition, neurologically intact older children and adolescents are generally able to describe their symptoms, and it is often possible to determine whether their reflux symptoms are troublesome.…”

“…29,35 In contrast, the predominant symptoms in older children (6-17 years) are regurgitation, vomiting, epigastric pain, and heartburn, with heartburn and regurgitation predominant, which are typically shown in adult patients with GERD. 32,36 In addition, neurologically intact older children and adolescents are generally able to describe their symptoms, and it is often possible to determine whether their reflux symptoms are troublesome. Therefore, we conducted the present survey of children who were school-aged and older (≥ 6 years), most of whom were family members of employees of our hospitals and related facilities.…”