Gastroesophageal reflux disease in medical students: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Common clinical problems are frequently seen in medical students. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is increasingly seen in clinics and is taken seriously into consideration; from this point, we start discussing this disorder. The most important part is to find out the prevalence of GERD among medical students and determine the most dominant risk factors that affect the prognosis of the disease. Aim: We aim at getting enough information about the best lifestyle modifications to alleviate symptoms. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on medical students in Jordan through a well- structured questionnaire to assess the frequency of symptoms and if there are specific risk factors for medical students. Results: The prevalence of GERD in medical students was found to be 42.3%, and of these 36% also had associated heartburn symptoms. The potential risk factors were psychological stress and bad dietary habits. Personal life stress was found to be the main cause of stress (65%). GERD patients had sleep problems which had a troublesome impact on them. Conclusions: GERD symptoms are frequently encountered among the population, with increased prevalence in medical students. The most common symptom was heartburn. However, most of the students were asymptomatic. Multiple potential risk factors were identified including psychological stress and bad dietary habits.