title: GERD-Related Questionnaires and Obese Population: Can They Really Reflect the Severity of the Disease and the Impact of GERD on Quality of Patients' Life?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a strong association between obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD-related questionnaires have been developed in order to objectify symptoms. However, none of them has been tested in obese population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to evaluate if GERD score and GERD-Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) can reflect severity of the disease and screen obese patients for GERD preoperatively. GERD's impact on the quality of life of obese patients is being assessed with the use of EORTC-QLQ C30.
  
  
  METHODS
  Obese patients during their preoperative evaluation were recruited regardless of the presence of GERD symptoms. A targeted GERD symptom history was obtained. Patients completed GERD score, GERD-HRQL, and EORTC-QLQ C30, and then, a 24-h multichannel intraluminal impedance pHmetry (MIIpH) was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-seven consecutive obese patients with mean age 39.91 years and mean BMI 46.94 kg/m(2) were included in the study. GERD score and GERD-HRQL have a positive linear correlation with DeMeester score (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). EORTC QLQ-C30 does not correlate with DeMeester score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GERD-related questionnaires could be used in obese population as preoperative screening tool for GERD. However, our results indicate that the quality of life of obese patients is not affected by the existence of GERD.
authors.affiliation: "Hippokration" General Hospital of Athens, 114 Vas Sofias Av, 11527, Athens, Greece, tzinagb@yahoo.gr.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Doulami
authors.forename: Stamatina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Triantafyllou
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Natoudi
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Albanopoulos
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leandros
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zografos
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Theodorou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012107:Research Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult