The Relationship between Atypical GERD Manifestations and Sleep Impairment

Abstract

Purpose: To assess sleep impairment among GERD patients experiencing frequent nighttime atypical manifestations of GERD. Methods: A sample of US adults participated in a web survey including a validated GERD screener. Frequency of nighttime atypical GERD manifestations during the previous 3 months was assessed. Frequent symptoms were defined as atypical manifestations ≥2 nights per week for each manifestation. Sleep impairment during the previous 3 months was assessed using a five-category ordinal scale. The proportion with sleep impairment (ie, those reporting sleeping poorly often or most of the time) was compared for GERD cases with versus those without each nighttime atypical manifestation using the chi-square adjusting for multiple comparisons. Results: 2,805 of 18,213 invited to participate responded. 2,603 satisfied the study criteria (mean age = 46 years, 55% women); 701 were GERD cases. Overall, 74% of GERD cases reported at least one nighttime atypical manifestation. For almost every daytime and nighttime atypical manifestation assessed, more than 20% of GERD patients reported their occurrence as frequent (≥2 days or nights per week). For 8 of the 9 nighttime atypical manifestations assessed, the proportion of GERD cases reporting sleep impairment was significantly higher for GERD cases with the atypical manifestation compared with GERD cases without the atypical manifestation.Table: Percent with Sleep Impairment for GERD cases with vs without frequent atypical manifestationsConclusion: Most atypical GERD manifestations affected quality of sleep as perceived by individuals with GERD. Awareness of this relationship may assist in the management of these patients.