Risk factors of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Shiraz, southern Iran

Table 1 Frequency of GERD symptoms and their correlation with different characteristics of subjects in Shiraz, Southern Iran (n = 1978)

Characteristics		GERD Symptoms (%)		P value
		Present	Absent
Gender	Male	12.3	87.7	0.003
	Female	17.3	82.7
Habitat	Urban	13	87	0.001
	Rural	19.8	80.2
	Illiterate	21.5	78.5
Education	Primary school	16.1	83.9	< 0.001
	High school	13.6	86.4
	University	12.3	87.7
Physical activity	No	14.8	85.2	0.373
	Yes	16.3	83.7
Psychological distress	No	14.9	85.1	0.003
	Yes	27.2	72.8
Recurrent headache	No	14.7	85.3	0.009
	Yes	22	78
Past GI disease history	No	13.3	86.7	< 0.001
	Yes	22.3	77.7
	Thin	10.5	89.5
Body mass index	Normal	15.7	84.3	0.065
	Overweight	13.4	86.6
	Obese	18.8	81.2
Age (mean) (yr)		50.25	49.83	0.547

GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease.