OBJECTIVES: To describe the relationship between symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and self-reported concomitant diseases, health-related quality of life and work productivity. METHODS: An exploratory database analysis was performed on results from the 2004 National Health and Wellness Survey. US respondents with self-reported symptoms of GERD (n = 10028, mean age: 52 years, 58% female) were age- and sex-matched to controls without GERD symptoms (n = 10028). Information on health-related quality of life was obtained using the Short-Form (SF)-8 questionnaire. Data on health-related reduced productivity while at work or when performing daily activities were obtained using the generic version of the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire. Respondents with GERD were classified by self-reported symptom severity (mild, moderate or severe) and frequency (low or medium-to-high: symptoms on <2 days or ³2 days per week, respectively). RESULTS: Respondents with GERD had the following distribution with regard to symptom severity and frequency: 52% had mild and low; 12% mild and medium-to-high; 10% moderate and low; 18% moderate and medium-to-high; 2% severe and low; 6% severe and medium-to-high. Compared with controls, respondents with GERD symptoms had a larger number of concomitant diseases (mean difference [MD]: 1.6), lower SF-8 physical and mental health scores (MD: 4.1 and 3.1 units, respectively), more absence from work (MD: 0.9 hours per week), and a higher percentage of health-related reduced productivity while at work (MD: 7.5% units) and when performing daily activities (MD: 12.1% units). The difference between the control group and respondents with GERD increased with increasing symptom severity and/or frequency for all variables. CONCLUSION: Increasing severity and frequency of GERD symptoms is associated with more concomitant diseases, lower health-related quality of life, and reduced work productivity. Further studies are needed to help identify patient populations in which re-evaluating the management of GERD may be warranted.