title: [Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with pathologic chronic gastroesophageal reflux].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sixty percent of adults has typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux in Chile.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report the clinical and laboratory features of patients with gastroesophageal reflux.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred thirty-four patients (255 male) with gastroesophageal reflux were included in a prospective protocol that included clinical analysis, manometry and endoscopy in all patients, barium swallow in 427, scintigraphy in 195, acid reflux test in 359, 24 h pH in 175, and differential potential of gastroesophageal mucosa in 73 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no correlation between the severity of symptoms and the endoscopical severity. Patients with Barret esophagus were 12 years older, were male in a greater proportion and had a higher proportion of manometrically incompetent sphincters than patients with esophageal reflux but without esophagitis or with erosive esophagitis. Severity of acid reflux, measured with 24 h pH monitoring was proportional to the endoscopical damage of the mucosa. There was a close relationship between the mucosal change limit determined with differential potentials and with endoscopy. No short esophagi were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux must be assessed using several objective measures to determine the severity of their pathological alterations.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Cirugía, Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Csendes
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Burdiles
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maluenda
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cortés
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Korn
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tepper
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huertas
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sagastume
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Puente
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Quezada
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Csendes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
vernacular_title: Características clínicas y de laboratorio de pacientes con reflujo gastroesofágico crónico patológico.