TY - JOUR AU - Shareef, Sabah Jalal AU - Kamal, Muhammed Mustafa AU - Saeed Ahmed, Nuri Baderkhan PY - 2016/12/15 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - A prospective study on the effect of waist circumference on symptom severity of gastroesophageal reflux disease JF - Zanco Journal of Medical Sciences (Zanco J Med Sci) JA - Zanco J Med Sci VL - 20 IS - 3 SE - Original Articles DO - 10.15218/zjms.2016.0054 UR - https://zjms.hmu.edu.krd/index.php/zjms/article/view/143 SP - 1531_1535 AB - <p style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Background and objective: </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Gastro esophageal reflux disease is one of the commonest gastrointestinal diseases and its incidence is increasing. There is a real challenge in diagnosis and treatment because of its complication if untreated and its effect on patient daily performance. We tried to find the relation between this disease severity symptom known by the number of heartburn attack</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">s</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> per week and (waist circumference). </span></p><p style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Methods: </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">A cross-sectional study of 100 patients (55% female and 45% male) diagnosed with gastro esophageal reflux disease in Rizgary Teaching Hospital Erbil city from </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">January 2014 to June 2014. Their ages ranged from 17 to 75 years. The criteria for patient selection depended on history and clinical examination and endoscopy, waist circumference measured with a tape measure in centimeter.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Results: </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The mean age ± SD of participants, was 37.13 ± 12.5 ranged from 17-75 years. Regarding the relation between frequency of heartburn attacks and waist circumflex, the study revealed that the number of heartburn attacks was significantly increasing with increasing waist circumflex, (</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><em>P</em> &lt;0.001), indicating that there is a strong relation between the increase in waist circumflex and severity of </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">gastro esophageal reflux disease</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> symptoms.</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Conclusion: </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Increasing of body weight especially waist circumference increases acid exposure to the esophagus. This affects on </span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">gastro esophageal reflux disease</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> symptoms severity and its complication. That is why decreasing body weight should be the first line of treatment which will decrease future complication.</span></p> ER -