[Multi-channel electrogastrography and autonomic nervous system function in patients with non-erosive reflux disease and reflux esophagitis].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the gastric myoelectrical activity and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function in patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) and reflux esophagitis (RE).


METHODS
42 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), 21 with NERD and 21 with RE, and 20 healthy volunteers (controls) underwent multi-channel electrogastrography (MEGG) and electrocardiography simultaneously for 30 min in the fasting state and 60 min after a standard test meal. The MEGG parameters included dominant frequency (DF), dominant power (DP), normal percentage of 2 - 4 times/min gastric slow waves (N%), and percentage of slow wave coupling (%SWC). ANS was determined according to power spectra analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) which was conducted by using electrocardiogram recording, including the parameters of sympathetic activity, vagal activity, and sympathovagal balance ratio so as to evaluate the ANS function.


RESULTS
The DF levels of the NERD and RE patients and healthy volunteers after test meal were all significantly higher than those in fasting state (all P < 0.05). The %SWC levels of the 3 groups after test meal were all significantly lower than those when fasting (all P < 0.05), and the %SWC level of the NERD patients was significantly lower than that of the healthy volunteers in fasting state [70.5% (40.6% - 81.9%, 76.3% (66.4% - 91.4%), P < 0.05]. Test meal significantly increased the sympathetic activity and sympathovagal balance ratio of the NERD and RE patients and healthy volunteers (all P < 0.05), and the vagal activity levels of the 3 groups after test meal were all significantly lower than those when fasting (all P < 0.01). The sympathovagal balance ratio of the NERD group was significantly lower than that of RE group after meal [1.4 (0.8 - 2.5), 2.2 (1.3 - 4.4), P < 0.05].


CONCLUSIONS
The spatial regularity of gastric slow waves and ANS function in NERD patients are significantly different from those in RE patients.
Ding
Zhao-lu
ZL
Department of Gastroenterology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing 100730, China.
Xu
Xiao-hong
XH
Wang
Zhi-feng
ZF
Ke
Mei-yun
MY
D000328:Adult; D017776:Autonomic Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005746:Gastric Emptying / Q000502:physiology; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013270:Stomach / Q000503:physiopathology