Gastro oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)-related symptoms and its association with mood and anxiety disorders and psychological symptomology: a population-based study in women

Abstract

BackgroundPsychopathology seems to play a role in reflux pathogenesis and vice versa, yet few population-based studies have systematically investigated the association between gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and psychopathology. We thus aimed to investigate the relationship between GORD-related symptoms and psychological symptomatology, as well as clinically diagnosed mood and anxiety disorders in a randomly selected, population-based sample of adult women.MethodsThis study examined data collected from 1084 women aged 20-93 yr participating in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study. Mood and anxiety disorders were identified using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Research Version, Non-patient edition (SCID-I/NP), and psychological symptomatology was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). GORD-related symptoms were self-reported and confirmed by medication use where possible and lifestyle factors were documented.ResultsCurrent psychological symptomatology and mood disorder were associated with increased odds of concurrent GORD-related symptoms (adjusted OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.5, and OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.7-5.6, respectively). Current anxiety disorder also tended to be associated with increased odds of current GORD-related symptoms (p = 0.1). Lifetime mood disorder was associated with a 1.6-fold increased odds of lifetime GORD-related symptoms (adjusted OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.4) and lifetime anxiety disorder was associated with a 4-fold increased odds of lifetime GORD-related symptoms in obese but not non-obese participants (obese, age-adjusted OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.8-9.0).ConclusionsThese results indicate that psychological symptomatology, mood and anxiety disorders are positively associated with GORD-related symptoms. Acknowledging this common comorbidity may facilitate recognition and treatment, and opens new questions as to the pathways and mechanisms of the association.

The association between gastroesophageal reflux disease with sleep quality, depression, and anxiety in a cohort study of Australian men

“…Our study reports a higher prevalence of GERD than previous Australian studies, 3,4 but is consistent with the prevalence data reported in recent clinical studies. 5,13 This discrepancy may relate to the use of a different GERD measure administered by general practitioners and the inclusion of younger men and women. 3 It may also reflect recent observations of secular increases in upper gastrointestinal chronic conditions.…”

“…Previous studies of affective disorders on GERD have been inconsistent, with some showing no effect, while others have shown a positive and even a negative effect on GERD . Furthermore, most previous research on GERD and affective disorders have been conducted in clinical settings in patients with a high‐degree of comorbidity and consequent limited applicability to the general population …”

“…11,12 Furthermore, most previous research on GERD and affective disorders have been conducted in clinical settings in patients with a high-degree of comorbidity and consequent limited applicability to the general population. [13][14][15] Sleep disorders are common in the general population. 16,17 Previous research has similarly demonstrated an association between GERD and sleep disturbances, such as obstructive sleep apnea, daytime sleepiness, and insomnia.…”

Prevalence, associated factors and medication for symptoms related to gastroesophageal reflux disease among 1114 private-tuition students of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

“…Associated factors for GORD are broadly classified into genetic, demographic, behavioural and comorbid factors [6]. Psychological stress predisposes to GORD [7,8] by causing barrier dysfunction of gastrointestinal mucosa and permeability defect in oesophageal stratified epithelia [7]. Also, spicy food, carbonated soft drinks, coffee, tea and irregular dietary habits were found associated with GORD symptoms [9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

Studying the Psychological Profile of Patients with Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

“…Moreover, most of these studies diagnosed psychological distress based on medical records or self-reported symptom scales, whereas other studies did not document the diagnosis of reflux with objective testing, rather making the diagnosis of reflux based on the patient's complaint or on medical history [22,23,24,25,26,27]. Thus, the results of these studies could have potential biases related to lack of proper diagnosis of either psychological disorders or reflux problems.…”