title: [A comparison of clinical characteristics between non-erosive reflux disease and reflux esophagitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To summarize the clinical symptoms of patients with non-erosive reflux disease(NERD) and reflux esophagitis(RE), which is helpful to the differential diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Out-patients who met the criteria of NERD or RE according to the Montreal definition in Gastroenterology Department Wuhan Union Hospital from 2010-2014 were enrolled in our study. Clinical data were comprehensively collected. Incidence of disease, severity, frequency of esophageal and extraesophageal symptoms, and the rates of overlapping with functional dyspepsia (FD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were all studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Totally 446 subjects were recruited, including 225 patients with NERD and 221 patients with RE. The occurrence rates of esophageal symptoms including heartburn [76.0%(171/225) vs 52.0%(115/221), P<0.01] and acid regurgitation [74.7%(168/225) vs 54.3%(120/221), P<0.05] in NERD group were significantly higher than those in RE patients, with more severe and frequent (P<0.05). Despite the rates of food regurgitation were similar, NERD patients behaved more severely and frequently (P<0.05). Extraesophageal symptoms including throat burning and foreign body sensation in NERD group [40.9%(92/225) vs 27.6%(61/221), 42.2%(95/225) vs 31.7%(70/221), all P<0.05] were also higher than those in RE group, the degree of which was more severe too (P<0.05). RE patients claimed a higher proportion of chronic cough. The incidences of overlapping with IBS in two groups were similar. But there were more patients with FD in NERD group [72.0%(162/225) vs 62.9%(139/221), P<0.05] than in RE group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The menifestations and degree of esophageal and extraesophageal symptoms in patients with NERD or RE are different, as well as comorbidities such as FD and IBS. These results suggest that NERD and RE are independent diseases.
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: X L
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: S Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.forename: X P
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
authors.forename: X H
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Hou
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D015994:Incidence; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index