The Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) in the Islamic Republic of Iran: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a common, chronic disease worldwide. The weekly prevalence of reflux in developed countriesis 10% to 48%. It has previously been reported as 5% in Asian countries, but new reports show a higher level in both Asian and Arab countries. In Iran, reflux has increased over the last two decades. There are few studies concerning the prevalence of reflux in Iran. This study aims to review reports about the prevalence of reflux in Iran, as it may be different in various parts of the country. By evaluation of the existing articles, this study will reach a general conclusion about the reflux prevalence in Iran. METHODS This was a qualitative, systematic review that estimated the prevalence rate of reflux in Iran. In August 2010, we reviewed all electronic database published studies that concerned the epidemiology of reflux prevalence in Iran by searching PubMed, Scientific Information Database (SID), Iran Medex, and Magiran. RESULTS In our search, using specified key words and selection criteria, 15 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. CONCLUSION According to the results, the data related to the estimated prevalence in Iran have a wide range. The weekly prevalence rate of 21.2% in the Tehran study is the best estimate for reflux in Iran. It seems that reflux is more common in Iran when compared to other Asian countries, and similar to reflux in Western countries. Due to the absence of comprehensive studies in Iran, we recommend that researchers conduct accurate, comprehensive, multi-dimensional studies in order to estimate reflux prevalence and its burden in Iran.