ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Belching disorder (BD) is clinically distinct from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with belching. Supragastric belching (SGB) is closely associated with reflux episodes. This study investigates belch characteristics in association with reflux, compared between patients with BD and those who had GERD with belching. METHODS: Impedance pH monitoring data from 10 patients with BD and 10 patients with GERD who exhibited belching were retrospectively analyzed. Belches were considered "isolated" or "reflux-related" and acidic/non-acidic. Belch characteristics were compared between patients with BD and those with GERD. RESULTS: Symptomatic belches were more frequent in patients with BD than in patients with GERD (median, 160.5 vs 56.0, P < 0.05). SGB was the most common type in both groups; common subtypes comprised "isolated" in patients with BD and "isolated during the reflux period" in patients with GERD. Reflux-related SGB was more common in patients with GERD than in BD (78.3% vs 45.2%, P < 0.005). Both "preceding belching" including the reflux period and acidic SGB were more common in patients with GERD than in BD (31.8% vs 8.6% and 38.1% vs 8.9%, both P < 0.05). Supragastric belch number positively correlated with all reflux episodes in patients with GERD (adjusted R2 = 0.572, P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: BD is characterized by more belching, compared to GERD. SGB is more frequently associated with reflux in GERD than in BD; acidity may be related to GERD. In BD, SGB is typically non-acidic and unrelated to reflux. Distinct SGB characteristics may reflect different pathogenic mechanisms of reflux and associated symptoms.
ABSTRACT
RACIONAL: Não está claro se pacientes que apresentam refluxo gastroesofágico distal têm maior risco de apresentar também refluxo proximal. O senso comum sugere que um episódio de refluxo poderia chegar mais facilmente à faringe em pacientes que tivessem menor distância a percorrer entre o esfíncter inferior do esôfago e o superior. OBJETIVO: Investigar se o esôfago curto e a presença de refluxo esofágico distal são fatores de risco para refluxo proximal nos pacientes com sintomas respiratórios. MÉTODO: Cento e sete pacientes foram avaliados prospectivamente por meio de entrevista, esofagoscopia, manometria e pHmetria. Utilizaram-se o teste t de Student, o de correlação de Spearman, o do Qui-quadrado e odds-ratio. O nível de significância foi 0,05. RESULTADOS: Os sintomas que motivaram a investigação da doença do refluxo gastroesofágico foram: tosse 43 (40,2 por cento); pigarro 25 (23,4 por cento), globo faríngeo 23 (21,5 por cento) e rouquidão 16 (14,9 por cento). No estudo endoscópico 22 apresentaram esofagite e 14 hérnia de hiato. Na avaliação manométrica 11 (10,8) por cento apresentaram hipotonia do esfíncter inferior. A média do comprimento do esôfago foi 24,3 (± 1,9) cm, variando de 20 a 30 cm. Na avaliação pHmétrica 23 (21,5 por cento) apresentaram refluxo distal patológico e 12 (11,2 por cento) refluxo proximal. CONCLUSÕES: O comprimento do esôfago não esteve associado com a presença de refluxo proximal. Pacientes que apresentaram refluxo gatroesofágico distal, independente do comprimento do esôfago, tiveram risco aumentado de 4,6 vezes para apresentarem refluxo proximal.
BACKGROUND: It is not clear whether patients suffering from distal esophageal reflux also present high risk to proximal esophageal reflux. Common sense suggests that reflux would more easily reach the pharynx in patients who have a smaller distance between the lower esophageal sphincter and the upper one and, thus, short esophagus. AIM: To Investigate if short esophageal length and presence of esophageal distal reflux are risk factors for proximal reflux among patients presenting respiratory symptoms. METHODS: A hundred and seven patients were evaluated prospectively by interview, esophagoscopy, manometry and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring. Student's t test (two-sided), Spearman's rank correlation, Chi-square and odds ratio were used in the statistical analysis. Significance level was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Respiratory symptoms that motivated the search for gastroesophageal reflux disease were cough 43 (40.2 percent); throat irritation 25 (23.4 percent), pharyngeal globe 23 (21.5 percent) and hoarseness 16 (14.9 percent). By esophagoscopy, 22 (27.2 percent) presented some degree of esophagitis. A hiatal hernia was observed in 14 (17.5 percent) patients. According to manometry, 11 (10.8 percent) had lower esophageal sphincter hypotonia. The average esophageal body length was 24.3 (± 1.9) cm, ranging from 20 to 30 cm. The esophageal length was not associated with the presence of proximal esophageal reflux. As indicated by pH monitoring, 23 (21.5 percent) presented pathologic distal reflux and 12 (11.2 percent) had proximal reflux. CONCLUSION: The esophageal length was not associated with the presence of proximal esophageal reflux. Patients who had pathological distal esophageal reflux, independent of the esophageal length, were 4.6 times more likely to have proximal esophageal reflux.
