Similar symptom patterns in gastroesophageal reflux patients with and without hiatal hernia
Diseases of the Esophagus, 06/01/2012
Antoniou SA et al. – Distinct functional characteristics in patients with and without hiatal hernia may suggest a tailored therapeutic management for these diverse patient groups.
Methods- A cumulative number of 120 patients with reflux disease were enrolled in the study.
- Quality of life score, demographic, symptom, manometric, and impedance data were prospectively collected.
- Data comparison was undertaken between patients with and without hiatal hernia.
- A P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
- Patients with hiatal hernia tended to be older than patients without hernia (52.3 vs. 48.6 years, P 0.05), whereas quality of life scores were slightly better for the former (97.0 vs. 88.2, P=0.005).
- Regurgitation occurred more frequently in patients without hiatal hernia (78.3% vs. 93.9%, P<0.05).
- Otherwise, no differences were found with regard to esophageal and extraesophageal symptoms.
- However, lower esophageal sphincter pressures (7.7 vs. 10.0 mmHg, P=0.007) and more frequent reflux episodes (upright, 170 vs. 134, P=0.01; supine, 41 vs. 24, P<0.03) were documented for patients with hiatal hernia on manometric and impedance studies.
