Non-erosive reflux disease compared with erosive esophagitis with regards to acid reflux and symptom patterns.

Background/aims: Non-erosive reflux disease and erosive esophagitis are the most common phenotypic presentations of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Recent reports suggest that patients with non-erosive reflux disease treated with antireflux medications show lower symptom improvement rates than patients with erosive esophagitis treated with the same medications. The aim was to assess the acid reflux and symptom patterns of patients with non-erosive reflux disease in comparison with those with erosive esophagitis and to identify different non-erosive reflux disease subgroups.

Material And Methods: One hundred and twenty consecutive patients (67 male, age: 37.6±12.9 years) seen for classic heartburn symptoms were evaluated for the study. The patients underwent upper endoscopy and 24-hour ambulatory pH monitoring.

Results: Erosive esophagitis was identified in 51 patients and nonerosive reflux disease in 69 patients. According to pH metric findings (DeMeester Score >14.72 or Fraction Time >4%), 31.9% of the non-erosive reflux disease group and 47.1% of the erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease group had abnormal acid reflux (p=0.134). Erosive esophagitis patients showed a similar pattern of acid reflux to non-erosive reflux disease patients in the different positions (supine and upright). Non-erosive reflux disease-negative (normal pH test) patients demonstrated a significantly lower degree of esophageal acid exposure when compared with those with erosive esophagitis. About 10.6% of the non-erosive reflux disease-negative patients and 45.5% of the non-erosive reflux disease-positive (abnormal pH test) patients had a positive symptom index (≥50%) during the distal pH metry (p=0.003).

Conclusions: Acid reflux characteristics and symptom patterns suggest that the non-erosive reflux disease group represents a heterogeneous group of patients.