Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux and risk factors for erosive esophagitis in obese patients considered for bariatric surgery

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is common in obese individuals. Prospective studies investigating validated GERD questionnaires and clinical parameters at identifying erosive esophagitis (EE) in this population are limited. Objective: To prospectively evaluate the prevalence of GERD in obese patients considered for bariatric surgery and identify risk and predictive factors for EE. Methods: Eligible patients completed two validated questionnaires: GERDQ and Nocturnal Symptom Severity Impact (N-GSSIQ) before routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Results: 242 consecutive patients were enrolled (130 females; mean age 37.8 +/- 11.8 years; mean BMI 40.4 +/- 5.3 kg/m(2)). The overall prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux (GERDQ >= 8, EE and/or PPI use) was 62.4%. EE was identified in 82 patients (33.9%) including 13/62 (21.0%) receiving PPIs at baseline. Multivariate logistic regression identified GERDQ >= 8 (OR= 6.3, 95%CI 3.0-13.1), hiatal hernia (OR = 4.2, 95%CI 1.6-10.7), abnormal Hill grade (OR= 2.7, 95%CI 1.4-5.4), and tobacco use (OR=2.5, 95%CI 1.2-4.9) as independent risk factors for EE. A pre-endoscopic composite assessment including GERD Q >= 8 and presence of severe nocturnal reflux symptoms had 90% specificity and 20.7% sensitivity in identifying EE (NPV 68.9% and PPV 51.5%). Conclusion: GERD is highly prevalent in obese patients. Anthropometric data and GERD questionnaires have limited accuracy at predicting erosive disease. Pre-operative endoscopic assessment in this population appears warranted. (C) 2019 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.