Correlation between Quality of Life and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a disease characterized by the rise of stomach acid into the esophagus which leads to heartburn and regurgitation. The prevalence of adult GERD cases worldwide is 11-38.8%. This study aimed to determine the correlation between GERD and quality of life among patients affected by this disease. This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 92 GERD patients in Atma Jaya Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia from April 2018 to June 2018. Two questionnaires, GERD-Q and GERD-HRQL were used in this study. A validation of the Indonesian version of the GERD-HRQL questionnaire was performed prior to this study. The Mann Whitney test was used to identify the correlation between GERD and the quality of life in patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. This study indicated that the GERD-HRQL questionnaire showed good validity and reliability. Results showed that there was a correlation between GERD and quality of life (p=0.005) in patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms. In conclusion, GERD affects the quality of life of patients affected by this disease.