CLINICAL AND LABORATORY FEATURES OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX

Background: Sixty percent of adults has typical symptoms of gastroesop hageal reflux in Chile. Aim: To report the clinical and laboratory fea tures of patients with gastroesophageal reflux. Patients and methods: Five hundred thirty four patients (255 male) with gastroesophageal ref lux were included in a prospective protocol that included clinical ana lysis, manometry and endoscopy in all patients, barium swallow in 427, scintigraphy in 195, acid reflux test in 359, 24 h PH in 175, and dif ferential potential of gastroesophageal mucosa in 73 patients. Results : There was no correlation between the severity of symptoms and the en doscopical severity. Patients with Barret esophagus were 12 years olde r, were male in a greater proportion and had a higher proportion of ma nometrically incompetent sphincters than patients with esophageal refl ux but without esophagitis or with erosive esophagitis. Severity of ac id reflux, measured with 24 h pH monitoring was proportional to the en doscopical damage of the mucose. There was a close relationship betwee n the mucosal change limit determined with differential Potentials and with endoscopy. No short esophagi were found. Conclusions: Patients w ith symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux must be assessed using several objective measures to determine the severity of their pathological al terations.