Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of participants. Values are numbers (percentages) of participants unless stated otherwise
| Study (n=284) | Control (n=191) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 36.9 (8.4) | 37.1 (7.2) |
| Men | 165 (58) | 106 (55) |
| Smokers | 126/276 (46) | 75/182 (41) |
| Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatories at study entry | 7/284 (2) | 6 (3) |
| Previous confirmed diagnosis of ulcer | 13/280 (5) | 13 (7) |
| Previous barium meal examination | 50/281 (18) | 26 (14) |
| Previous endoscopy | 38/280 (14) | 28 (15) |
| Endoscopy in past 3 years | 6/280 (2) | 2 (1) |
| Mean (SD) quality of life scores: | ||
| Pain | 57.1 (20.8) | 54.2 (20.6) |
| Emotion | 57.4 (18.2) | 56.7 (18.1) |
| Social | 69.0 (19.5) | 67.2 (20.1) |
| Total | 60.3 (15.2) | 58.8 (16.2) |
| Mean (SD) symptoms score | 10.1 (3.8) | 10.6 (3.9) |
| Epigastric pain more than once a month | 202/238 (85) | 130/152 (86) |
| Heartburn more than once a month | 161/238 (68) | 103/152 (68) |
| Epigastric pain and heartburn more than once a month | 149/238 (63) | 92/152 (61) |
Patients for whom accurate historical data could not be attained are excluded from comparisons of previous investigations.