Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in the World Trade Center Health Program General Responder Cohort

Details

• Personal Author:
  Crane MA ; Dasaro CR ; Harrison DJ ; Kwa W ; Luft BJ ; Moline JM ; Sabra A ; Sacks HS ; Sloan NL ; Teitelbaum SL ; Todd AC ; Udasin IG
• Description:
  Background: People participating in the rescue, recovery, and clean-up effort after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) were exposed to a complex mix of noxious substances and subsequently experienced elevated gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) incidence, the second-most-common WTC-related condition. Methods: Longitudinal WTC Health Program data, collected between July 2002 and December 2022, were used to describe the sample characteristics, diagnostic procedures, and treatment of consenting cohort members with self-reported GERD who reported incident GERD for a year or longer (n = 19,067). Cross-tabulations and binomial logistic regression, adjusted for confounders including comorbidities, assessed the associations with intermittent and resolved, compared with unresolved, GERD. Results: 12.6% of the study cohort reported intermittent GERD; 5.5% reported GERD resolution. Analyses indicated that most GERD resolution was reported by people of color and those with body mass index <25, and by cohort members who had longer postdiagnosis follow-up and implemented dietary modifications together with proton pump inhibitors or Program-approved antacids. GERD-certified members who underwent endoscopy, used medications without dietary modifications, or used bed head-elevation, and those with Barrett's disease (5.8%) or esophageal cancer (0.1%) may have had more severe GERD and reported little resolution. Conclusions: The use of GERD services was consistent with clinical guidelines. Members' implementing dietary modifications in conjunction with proton pump inhibitors or Program-approved antacids reported more resolution and may have had less severe GERD. Earlier diagnosis and intervention might increase earlier therapeutic resolution. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Emergency Responders Firefighters Occupational Health Safety September 11 Terrorist Attacks
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Cohort Studies Digestive System Fire Fighters First Responders Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease GERD GERD Treatment Health Service Utilization Rescue/Recovery Work World Trade Center WTC

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract ; Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; New York ; New York City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  473-483
• Volume:
  68
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070802
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2025 May; 68(5):473-483
• Contact Point Address:
  Christopher R. Dasaro, Department of Environmental Medicine, World Trade Center Health Program General Responder Data Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
• Email:
  christopher.dasaro@mssm.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20040601
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20200531
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:852cf5ab38cf49c240b39701d42a11ee2b3d77c184234da95dc1e4e118dd5adf16e304f41418c0ad1993d2db59a59cb9c2322f36b01301961073c5b6469e4ba1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208955/cdc_208955_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 451.91 KB ]