Abstract
Background: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is one of the most common chronic gastrointestinal disorder in adults.
Objectives: to determine the prevalence of GERD and its risk factors among females at Medical college of Taif university, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at Taif university and data was collected by a structured questionnaire. The sample was 240 female medical students who had GERD. Data about age, burning sensation pain in stomach, nausea, trouble sleeping, medication taken, having non-vegetarian diet, snacks, skipping breakfast, drinking tea, sleeping hours, smoking, and exercises were collected. Results: Out of the studied students, 29.3% had symptomatic GERD. Only frequent consumption of tea or coffee had a statistically significant association with symptomatic GERD.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated a high GERD prevalence among studied students. There is a need to increase awareness of university students about modifiable risk factors of GERD.