MedWire News: Patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease are around three times more likely to experience swallowing difficulties, called dysphagia, or pain when eating or drinking than those without the condition, study results show.

Dr G Eslick, from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and Dr N Talley, from the University of Sydney in Australia, explain that "dysphagia is an important alarm symptom" for the presence of other conditions and diseases.

But they add: "Little is known about the prevalence, risk factors and impact on quality of life of dysphagia in the general community."

To address this, the team sent questionnaires to a randon sample of 926 adults in Sydney, Australia, of whom 672 responded.

The survey included questions on dysphagia symptoms, the presence of various physical and mental conditions and diseases, quality of life, age and gender.

Analysis of the returned questionairres revealed that 16% of respondents had suffered from dysphagia at some pont in their lives.

The researchers found that, compared with other people, those with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease were 3.4 times more likely to suffer from pain when swallowing, called odynophagia, and nearly three times more likely to suffer from dysphagia.

The presence of dysphagia was also associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression and reduced general health.

Drs Eslick and Talley conclude: "Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is a risk factor for dysphagia as well as odynophagia.

"Dysphagia is a significant health problem in the community with a substantial impact on the lives of those affected in terms of physical and mental functioning."

The research is published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.