title: Clinical feature of asymptomatic reflux esophagitis in patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) varies in regions, but few reports on clinical features and quality of life (QOL) of asymptomatic GERD exist in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Endoscopy was performed in our department between April 2008 and September 2010. Among 6409 cases answering Frequency of Scale for the Symptoms of GERD (FSSG) and SF8 QOL (PCS: physical component summary; MCS: mental component summary), proton pump inhibitor or histamine 2 receptor antagonist users were excluded, and 388 cases diagnosed as reflux esophagitis (RE) (Los Angeles Classification grade A, B, C, D) were analyzed. Asymptomatic cases with FSSG total score = 0 were defined as asymptomatic RE (AsymRE) and FSSG total score ≥ 1 as symptomatic RE (SymRE). Each clinical feature was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of AsymRE was 11.6% of RE (AsymRE, n = 45; SymRE, n = 343). Patient characteristics in AsymRE, SymRE were male/female = 35/10; 239/104 (not significant), mean age (year) = 63.5 ± 14.3; 58.3 ± 12.7 (P < 0.01), body mass index = 23.9 ± 4.3; 23.5 ± 3.7 (ns), respectively. Regarding the grade of RE, grade A 80.0%, B 17.8%, C 2.2% and D 0% in AsymRE, and grade A 72.6%, B 24.8%, C 2.0% and D 0.6% in SymRE (ns). PCS in SF8 was AsymRE; SymRE = 51.8 ± 9.8; 49.0 ± 7.7 (P < 0.01) and MCS in SF8 was AsymRE; SymRE = 51.4 ± 9.4; 48.2 ± 7.6 (P < 0.01), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of asymptomatic RE was high, particularly in elderly subjects. Unlike symptomatic RE, QOL was not impaired at all with asymptomatic RE. No differences were seen between groups in clinical features such as endoscopic severity of RE, indicating that asymptomatic RE is a condition that should not be overlooked clinically.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. nagahara@juntenod.ac.jp
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagahara
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hojo
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Asaoka
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oguro
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Kenshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osada
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshizawa
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires