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

BackgroundGastroesophageal 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.ObjectiveTo prospectively evaluate the prevalence of GERD in obese patients considered for bariatric surgery and identify risk and predictive factors for EE.MethodsEligible patients completed two validated questionnaires: GERDQ and Nocturnal Symptom Severity Impact (N-GSSIQ) before routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy.Results242 consecutive patients were enrolled (130 females; mean age 37.8 ± 11.8 years; mean BMI 40.4 ± 5.3 kg/m²). 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 GERDQ ≥ 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%).ConclusionGERD 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.