Quality of life and severity of symptoms in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a clinical review

My purpose is to review the quality of life (QoL) instruments used in the assessment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and assess the effects of CORD on quality of life. Many instruments have been used in the assessment of quality of life in patients with CORD, and these have varied both in quality and purpose. In general, the choice of instrument depends on its purpose. Several investigators, using generic quality of life instruments, have shown that CORD significantly reduces QoL, and its effects an comparable with those of congestive heart failure. However, these generic instruments do not seem to be sensitive enough to measure the effects of treatments on CORD. For this, disease-specific instruments are more appropriate. Both medical and surgical treatment has been shown to improve QoL. The choice of instrument is entirely dependent on the investigator's reason for measuring QoL in GORD patients.