{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T20:01:41Z","timestamp":1791489701471,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,1]],"date-time":"2024-05-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1714521600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100011612","name":"University Grants Commission - Sri Lanka","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UGC\/VC\/DRIC\/PG2019(1)\/CMB\/01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UGC\/VC\/DRIC\/PG2019(1)\/CMB\/01"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100011612","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009826","name":"University of Colombo","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["AP\/3\/2\/2020\/SG\/11"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AP\/3\/2\/2020\/SG\/11"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009826","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is commonly encountered in clinical practice in Sri Lanka. However, its prevalence in Sri Lanka is unknown. Our objective was to study the island-wide prevalence of GERD symptoms in Sri Lanka and its associated factors. A total of 1200 individuals aged 18\u201370 years (male: female 1: 1.16, mean age 42.7 years [SD 14.4 years]). were recruited from all 25 districts of the country, using stratified random sampling. An interviewer-administered, country-validated questionnaire was used to assess the GERD symptom prevalence and associated factors. Weight, height, waist, and hip circumference were measured. Heartburn and\/or regurgitation at least once a week, an internationally used criterion for probable GERD was used to diagnose GERD. In this study, GERD symptom prevalence was 25.3% (male 42.1% and female 57.9%). Factors independently associated with GERD were inadequate sleep, snacking at midnight, sleeping within two hours of consuming a meal, skipping breakfast, increased mental stress, and certain medications used such as statins, and antihypertensive medications (p&lt;0.001, univariate and logistic regression analysis). 38.4% of the study population have been using medication for heartburn and regurgitation in the past 3 months and 19.8% were on proton pump inhibitors. To conclude, the prevalence of GERD symptoms in Sri Lanka (25.3%) is higher than its estimated global prevalence of 13.8%. Several meal-related lifestyle habits, mental stress, and the use of some medications are significantly associated with GERD, indicating the importance of lifestyle modification and stress reduction in its management.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0003162","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,1]],"date-time":"2024-05-01T17:23:19Z","timestamp":1714584199000},"page":"e0003162","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Gastroesophageal reflux disease in Sri Lanka: An island-wide epidemiological survey assessing the prevalence and associated factors"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"4","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3393-1050","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nilanka","family":"Wickramasinghe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahthavann","family":"Thuraisingham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-1562-3046","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Achini","family":"Jayalath","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dakshitha","family":"Wickramasinghe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dharmabandhu N.","family":"Samarasekera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5315-4957","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Etsuro","family":"Yazaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Niranga Manjuri","family":"Devanarayana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,1]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pgph.0003162.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"308","DOI":"10.1038\/ajg.2012.444","article-title":"Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease","volume":"108","author":"PO Katz","year":"2013","journal-title":"Am J Gastroenterol"},{"issue":"8","key":"pgph.0003162.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1572-0241.2006.00630.x","article-title":"The Montreal definition and classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a global evidence-based consensus","volume":"101","author":"N Vakil","year":"2006","journal-title":"Am J Gastroenterol"},{"issue":"5","key":"pgph.0003162.ref003","first-page":"241","article-title":"Pathophysiology of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease","volume":"26","author":"F De Giorgi","year":"2006","journal-title":"Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0003162.ref004","first-page":"1","article-title":"Global Prevalence and Risk Factors of Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD): Systematic Review with Meta-analysis","volume":"10","author":"JS Nirwan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Scientific Reports 2020 10:1"},{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0003162.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1159\/000210097","article-title":"Epidemiology of the complications of gastroesophageal reflux disease","volume":"27","author":"K Belhocine","year":"2009","journal-title":"Dig Dis"},{"issue":"6","key":"pgph.0003162.ref006","first-page":"662","article-title":"Comparison of a composite symptom score assessing both symptom frequency and severity with a score that assesses frequency alone: a preliminary study to develop a practical symptom score to detect gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in a resource-poor setting","volume":"22","author":"LD Amarasiri","year":"2010","journal-title":"Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol"},{"key":"pgph.0003162.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2466-10-49","article-title":"Prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease symptoms and reflux-associated respiratory symptoms in asthma","volume":"10","author":"LD Amarasiri","year":"2010","journal-title":"BMC Pulm Med"},{"issue":"5","key":"pgph.0003162.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"184","DOI":"10.1007\/s12664-010-0047-7","article-title":"Endoscopic observations around the gastroesophageal junction in patients with symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux disease","volume":"29","author":"NM Navarathne","year":"2010","journal-title":"South Asia. 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