[The prevalence of heartburn in the elderly patients in urban outpatient clinics in Russia].

INTRODUCTION

Heartburn is the most common symptom of GERD. It's prevalence among different age groups of Russian population has not been studied yet.

AIM: To study the prevalence of heartburn and its influence on the quality of life patterns in Russian urban primary care patients.

METHODS

The data presented in the article is a part of ARIADNE study on epidemiology of heartburn in Russian urban population. A cross-sectional survey, using a reliable and validated self-filled questionnaire was performed on randomly selected 18706 primary care patients in the 11 largest cities of Russia.

RESULTS

The data of 14,521 respondents were available to the final analysis. Among the respondents 8,643 (59.5%) reported heartburn, among them elderly (> or = 60 y. o.) 2,017. Heartburn was more prevalent in elderly (61.87%) compared to younger people (59.29%), p = 0.028. Frequent (> or = 2 times a week) heartburn was found in 3,295 respondents. The prevalence of frequent symptom was also higher in elderly then in people less than 60 y. o.: 30.59% compared to 21.42%, p < 0.001. The deeper influence of heartburn on the quality of life of the elderly respondents was found compared to younger patients, especially in regard to necessity to avoid favorite dishes and beverages (40.95% vs 37.52% in younger, p = 0.021), sleep disturbance (29.41% vs 19.22% respectively, p = 0.00001), need to limit physical activity (16.99% vs 13.61%, p = 0.0015). CONCLUSIONS; Heartburn is the prevalent symptom among Russian urban primary care patients. The prevalence of heartburn in patients 60 y. o. and older is higher than in younger people. Frequent heartburn is more prevalent in elderly people compared to younger. The quality of life is significantly decreased in patients experiencing heartburn. The impact of heartburn on the quality of life changes is stronger in elderly people.