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/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%). 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.