Gastroesophageal Reflux in Lockdown

Abstract

Aim: This study examines the changes in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptom frequency among patients with GERD throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A structured questionnaire was distributed among 198 GERD patients. The questionnaire consisted of a demographic characteristic assessment, the GerdQ questionnaire, and a reflux symptom index (RSI) questionnaire. Result & conclusion: A statistically significant increase in GerdQ score was identified among participants during the COVID-19 pandemic (t = 7.055, df = 209, p < 0.001), who had experienced an increase in the frequency of positive predictors of GERD and a decrease in the frequency of negative predictors of GERD. The COVID-19 pandemic and its related lockdown countermeasures may have led to exacerbating and worsening GERD symptoms.

Plain Language Summary

There is a lack of decisive research into the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its lockdown countermeasures on patients with GERD. We investigated the changes in symptomatic frequency among GERD patients in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-sectional study involving 198 GERD patients. A statistically significant number of participants experienced an increase in the frequency of positive predictors of GERD, and a decrease in the frequency of negative predictors of GERD. In addition, the impacts of GERD itself were also found to have increased during the pandemic, with patients struggling to sleep or attain additional medication to treat their condition.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• COVID-19 lockdown
• gastroesophageal reflux
• gastroesophageal reflux disease
• gastrointestinal system

Author contributions

Conceptualization: H Al-momani and S Mahmoud; Methodology: D Al Balawi, M Almasri, H AlGhawrie, L Ibraheem, L Adli and H Al-momani; Software: H Al-momani; Formal analysis: H Al-momani; Investigation: H Al-momani; Writing – original draft preparation: H Al-momani; Supervision: H Al-momani; Project Administration: H Al-momani.

Acknowledgments

The researchers thank the participants for sharing their experience and time, without which this research would not have been possible.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

Ethical approval was provided by The Hashemite University and Prince Hamza Hospital's Ethics Service Committee for this study (reference no. 5/3/2020/2021). Participants were made aware of the study's objectives, and their consent was provided in writing. They were also informed that the information they provided would remain confidential, that their identity would not be demanded or revealed by the study; and that no personal information would be demanded or revealed either. The questionnaire provided was reviewed by relevant experts prior to its administration, and the data collected by participant's response to this questionnaire has been solely used for the purpose of this research study.