Health-related quality of life in primary care patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical characteristics and health-related qual ity of life of family medicine patients with clinically diagnosed gastroeso phageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS: The study involved the baseline assessment of 268 patients enrolle d in a randomized clinical trial comparing treatments for GERD. The study w as conducted in a five-center, university: based family practice in southea stern West Virginia. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of GERD and who had not received treatment in the past 30 days were eligible; pregnant and lac tating women and patients with severe renal or hepatic insufficiency were e xcluded. RESULTS: TWO hundred sixty-eight patients were included In the analysis. Me an a SD age was 44.9 +/- 14.1 years; 61.2% were women and 91.4% were white. Mean +/- SD body mass index was 30.3 +/- 6 kg/m(2), and >15.3% of patients had no insurance. One hundred seventy-four (64.9%) patients were enrolled from nonurban primary care clinics. One hundred sixty-four patients (61.2%) were prescribed at least one medication prior to study enrollment (mean +/ - SD 2.88 +/- 1.71; range 1-9). When adjusted for age, gender, comorbidity status, and rural status, severity of GERD was associated with decreased he alth-related quality of life. GERD patients without comorbidity demonstrate d decrements in health-related quality of Life when compared with the US ge neral population. When compared with another GERD population, the study pat ients reported fairly consistent GERD symptomatology and health-related qua lity of life. CONCLUSIONS: GERD symptom severity was associated with impaired health-rela ted quality of life in a predominantly rural primary care population.