Heartburn has a significant impact on the working lives and general health of people living in Asia, results of a Taiwanese study suggest.

Dr C-L Lu, from Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and colleagues explain that, although the impact of heartburn in Western countries has been studied extensively, "little is known about the social and medical burdens of heartburn in Asia".

To investigate further, the researchers surveyed 2018 apparently healthy Taiwanese adults who were enrolled in a routine health maintenance programme.

In total, 7% of the participants reported that they suffered from one or more episodes of heartburn a week.

Further analysis revealed that heartburn sufferers experienced more chest pain, difficulty swallowing and sensation of a lump or tightness in the throatthan those without the condition.

Heartburn sufferers also had a higher number of days off work, visited doctors more frequently and experienced more sleeping problems than non-sufferers. They also spent more money on antacids, proton pump inhibitor drugs, sedatives and antidepressants than those without the condition.

The researchers conclude: "Heartburn prevalence in Taiwan is lower than in Western countries.

"Nevertheless, heartburn in the Taiwanese creates a significant burden in terms of social impact, health resource utilisation, sleep quality and pharmaceutical costs."

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