title: Increased prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in obese children evaluated in an academic medical center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that obese children are at higher risk of having gastroesophageal reflux symptoms compared with nonobese children.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective study, 236 obese children (age: 7 to 16 y) were interviewed using a standard questionnaire for reflux symptoms and a reflux symptom score was calculated. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) greater than 95th percentile for age and sex. One hundred and one age-matched and sex-matched children with BMI between 5th and 95th percentile served as controls. Demographic data were collected in all children. We compared prevalence rates of a reflux symptom score and other symptoms between the 2 groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A prevalence rate of a positive reflux symptom score (13.1%) was significantly higher in obese children than in the control group (2%) (odds ratio: 7.3, 95% CI: 1.7-31). Obesity remained as the only significant predictor for a positive reflux symptom score after controlling for other variables such as age, sex, race, and caffeine exposure (adjusted odds ratio: 7.4, 95% CI: 1.7-32.5). A positive reflux symptom score increased significantly from 2% in the control group to 11.7% in 196 obese children to 20% in 40 severely obese children (with BMI z-score >2.7).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obese children (age: 7 to 16 y) are at higher risk of having reflux symptoms compared with the control group. This risk is independent of age, sex, or race and increases with higher BMI.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Gastroenterology, FMP 408, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. dinesh.pashankar@yale.edu
authors.forename: Dinesh S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Pashankar
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Corbin
authors.forename: Syed K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caprio
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents