Relationship between Gastroesophageal Refluh Disease (GERD) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in adult population in Macedonia

Introduction: There is some data supporting close association between nocturnal GERD and sleepdisturbances. Sleep disturbances in patients with GERD are poorly recognized. Both arecommon chronic diseases and share several similar risk factors. Since obesity is a key risk factor to both OSA and GORD,it is not surprising that simple coincidence mightexplain this association and indeed there is evidence to support the lack of a causal link between the two, as follows: Aim: the purpose of this review is to understand the associationbetween obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and extra esophageal reflux disease (EER) inthe adult population. What isclear from this and other studies reported above is that nocturnalGERD, whether or not it is implicated in the genesis ofOSA episodes, contributes to nocturnal arousals in OSA andtherefore to daytime somnolence. Clearly, ant reflux therapyhas a potential role in reducing this burden for patients withsleep apnea. Results: A total of patients were included in the study: physician questionnaires were available for all of them. Nocturnal gastro-esophageal reflux disease symptomswere reported by patients (63.9%) and regular (at least once weekly) gastro-esophagealreflux disease-related sleep disturbances by (41.7%). Multivariate analysis showed that nocturnalgastro-esophageal reflux disease symptoms, obesity, use of hypnotic drugs, and age over 50 years were significantindependent predictors of sleep disturbances. The proportion of patients reporting at least onenocturnal gastro-esophageal reflux disease symptom during the previous week decreased followingtreatment, from 98.8% to 39.3% (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Nocturnal gastro-esophageal reflux disease symptoms are common in the Macedonian populationand are associated with sleep disturbances. Effective treatment can significantly improve sleepduration and quality. Key words: Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease, Nocturnal GERD, Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)