Typical Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in the General Adult Population in Cotonou: Prevalence and Associated Socio-Demographic Factors

Introduction: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a common benign condition with\r\na worldwide prevalence of between 5% and\r\n45% in the adult population. Its prevalence in the general population is little\r\nknown in Africa.  The aim of this work\r\nwas to study the prevalence of typical GERD in the general adult population of\r\na large city and the associated socio-demographic factors. Patients and\r\nMethods: This was a prospectively collected, descriptive and analytical\r\ncross-sectional study that was conducted over a one-month period (June 2018).\r\nWe included any person residing in the city of Cotonou for at least 6 months,\r\naged 15 years or older, who had given consent for the study. The two-stage\r\ncluster sampling technique was used. The dependent variable was the typical\r\ngastroesophageal reflux defined by the heatburn-regurgitation association. Results: We had included 728 subjects. Of these, 255 had a typical GERD, i.e. a prevalence of 35%. The mean age of the respondents was 31.9\r\n± 13.2 years with extremes of 15 and 88 years. There were 379 men (52.1%) with\r\na sex ratio of 1.08. The study population was represented respectively by\r\nartisans (29.3%), students (26.6%) and traders/dealers (20.3%). In terms of\r\nmarital status, there were as many married and single subjects (48.2%). In\r\naddition, 47% of the study population had a body mass index of less than 25\r\nkg/m2. In univariate analysis, the sociodemographic factors associated with typical GERD were: age (60 years and\r\nolder): OR: 0.220 [95% CI 07 - 0.63],\r\np = 0.005 and marital status divorced/separated/widowed: OR: 0.32 [0.11 - 0.97],\r\np = 0.04. Older age and divorced/separated/widowed status appear to be\r\nprotective of the occurrence of GERD. Conclusion: Typical GERD was\r\ncommon in the adult population of Cotonou. It readily affected young (under 60\r\nyears of age), single or married subjects.