title: Is obesity associated with gastropharyngeal reflux disease?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between obesity and gastropharyngeal reflux disease (GPRD) as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional study of consecutive patients undergoing ambulatory 24-h dual-probe pH monitoring from July 2003 to December 2006. The association between body mass index (BMI) and parameters about gastroesophageal or gastropharyngeal reflux was examined in univariate and multivariate analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 769 patients (307 men and 462 women; mean age 50.7 years) were finally enrolled. Most variables showing gastroesophageal reflux was higher in the obese patients than the patients with normal BMI. There was no difference in all the variables showing gastropharyngeal reflux according to the BMI. After adjustment for age, sex, alcohol intake and smoking, obese patients demonstrated an about 2-fold increase in risk of GERD compared with patients with normal BMI (OR, 1.9; 95 CI, 1.3-2.9), but overweight patients did not demonstrate increased risk of GERD (OR, 1.2; 95 CI, 0.8-1.7). Both obese patients and overweight patients did not demonstrated increased risk of GPRD compared with patients with normal BMI (OR, 1.1; 95 CI, 0.8-1.7; and OR, 0.9; 95 CI, 0.6-1.3, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity is not associated with GPRD reflux while it is associated with GERD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Cheol Woong
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Gwang Ha
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chul Soo
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Soo Geun
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Byung Joo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hoseok
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: I
authors.forename: Dae Hwan
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Geun Am
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005744:Gastric Acid; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors