title: Clinical characteristics of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the correlation between clinical symptoms in daily life and the endoscopic features of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The study aim is to evaluate the correlation between clinical symptoms in daily life and endoscopic findings in reflux esophagitis (RE), and endoscopically suspected esophageal metaplasia (ESEM) in a large number of Japanese non-clinical cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 6504 subjects who underwent an endoscopy for their annual medical check-up at Miyagi cancer society were enrolled in this study. If esophagitis was present, it was graded according to the Los Angeles classification. ESEM describes endoscopic findings consistent with BE that await histological evaluation. It was also investigated the symptom of heartburn as a "typical symptom" of GERD, and dysphagia as an "atypical symptom" of GERD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of heartburn and dysphagia significantly increased concomitantly with endoscopic the esophagitis grading. The prevalence of heartburn was significantly higher in subjects with long segment ESEM than those without it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of heartburn and dysphagia were closely associated with RE grading. Long segment ESEM is strongly associated with the reflux symptom and RE. The more frequent the GERD symptoms, the greater the risk for the development of severe RE, and ESEM.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology Tohoku University graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryou- Machi, Aobaku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan. hatsushi@f2.dion.ne.jp
authors.forename: Hatsushi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Katsunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Imatani
authors.forename: Katsuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shibuya
authors.forename: Shigemitsu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aida
authors.forename: Tooru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimosegawa
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric