Impact of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Symptoms on the Lifestyle and Academic Performance of Medical Students at King Faisal University

Abstract

Background A number of symptoms and complications are associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which originates when stomach contents are refluxed into the esophagus. GERD has been associated with quality of life (QoL) issues as well as health-related problems. However, the evidence of this correlation among medical students is still unproven. This study aims to assess GERD severity and symptoms among medical students and investigate the effects of GERD on academic performance and quality of life among Saudi Arabian medical students. Methods This is a cross-sectional study design based on questionnaires distributed among medical students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia: Reflux-Qual Short form (RQS) and Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of GERD (FSSG). Demographic data include gender, academic year, and Grade Point Average (GPA). The participants included 382 studentsrandomly selected as the sample size, with a precision of 5% and a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Data were collected from 382 medical students of King Faisal University. A total of 382 participants (215 (56.3%) females and 167 (43.7%) males) were evaluated. Among 382 students,325 (85.1%) were negative for GERD, while 57 (14.9%) had symptoms of GERD. In this study, the most frequent symptoms were feeling full while eating meals (8.9%), feeling of heaviness after meals (6.5%), bloating of the stomach (3.7%), and burping (3.7%). The most affected life domains were life satisfaction (18.1%), enjoyment of food (8.4%), avoidance of large meals (6.3%), and worrying about digestive problems (5.8%). This study shows a significant relationship between GERD and GPA (P < 0.005) and a significant negative relationship between GERD and QoL (P < 0.001). Conclusions GERD significantly affects the quality of life for medical students, primarily those with high GPAs. More research is needed to determine the reason behind this.