Association Between Joint Hypermobility and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: An Observational Analytical Cross...

This study aims to assess the association between joint hypermobility (JHM) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

This cross sectional study included 100 consecutive Iraqi patients (43 males, 57 females; mean age 30±6.6 years; range 18 to 40 years) with GERD diagnosed by a gastroenterologist according to the guidelines for diagnosis and management of GERD and age and sex matched 100 healthy controls (36 males, 64 females; mean age 30±5.2 years; range 20 to 40 years). JHM was measured using Beighton score method by a blinded observer. A score of 4 or more was considered hypermobile.

Joint hypermobility values were significantly higher in GERD patients than in controls [46 (71.9%) vs 18 (28.1%), p<0.001, odds ratio=3.88; 95% confidence interval=2.04-7.39]. Multiple logistic regression analysis to detect predictors of GERD in JHM patients revealed that patients with high total mobility score (7- 9) had the highest risk for developing GERD [about 41 fold compared to those with normal mobility score (<4), P model <0.001, and overall prediction accuracy of 68%].

There is a significant association between JHM and GERD. The high total mobility score (7-9) was associated with a significantly high risk for developing GERD, indicating that early recognition of JHM may assist in early diagnosis and treatment of GERD.