Research of Nutritional Behaviour in Patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux

Abstract

Objective: Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is the migration of stomach contents to the lower part of the oesophagus, which is a physiological phenomenon that can usually be detected 10-15 times a day. It can occur after meals and during sleep. This study was conducted to investigate the nutritional behaviour of patients diagnosed as having GER disease (GERD). Methods: In this research, among patients who were admitted to the gastroenterology outpatient clinic in a training and research hospital in Istanbul between June and December 2019, 104 patients aged 18-65 and diagnosed as having GERD as the study group, and 104 individuals not diagnosed as having GERD as the control group were included. Results: Of both patient and control groups 49% were male and 51% were female. It was determined that those diagnosed as having the disease frequently experienced pyrosis and regurgitation with acidity. The average body mass index (BMI) of the patient group was 30.40 kg/m', and of the control group, it was 25.41 kg/m(2) (p<0.05). In this study, nutritional habits were assessed, and statistically significant variations were found in the number of meals, meal skipping, eating speeds, and food temperatures. It was determined that most people with GERD symptoms ate more chocolate, fatty foods, acidic foods, spicy foods, and sodas than the control group. It was found that most individuals diagnosed as having GERD were overweight and their physical activities were significantly lower than the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: As a result, the improvement in feeding behaviour and reducing the BMI level to acceptable limits would minimize the incidence of GER