Lack of correlation between obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in a pediatric cohort

Abstract

Objectives: Previous reports correlating obesity with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in children have yielded conflicting results. This study examined whether increasing BMI (body mass index) correlated with increasing grades of endoscopic and/or histopathologic GERD in a cohort of inner city children. Designs and Methods: 340 consecutive children (1-18 years) were classified as obese (BMI > 95%) for age and gender. Both endoscopic findings and esophageal histopathology were characterized by graded adult GERD scoring systems. Normal and abnormal grades were then stratified based on BMI. Results: In the study cohort (mean age 10.5 ± 4.7 yrs), 29% were obese (BMI > 95%) and 24% of the total cohort demonstrated endoscopic features of GERD. With increasing severity of endoscopic GERD (from normal to advanced), the percentage of obese patients at each grade did not increase (Grade 0 = 30%, Grade 1 = 26%, Grades 2-4 = 30%). Histopathologic findings consistent with GERD were noted in 21% of the total population studied. Again, the percentage of obese children in each diagnostic category (Grades 0-3) did not increase with increasing severity of inflammation. Conclusions: In this cohort of inner city children, obesity was not associated with an increased prevalence of GERD as defined by adult scoring systems.

The Relationship of Body Mass Index with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease based on Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire Score in Dinas Bina Marga and Bina Konstruksi of North Sumatera

“…6 The results of the analysis in this study which showed the absence of a relationship between BMI and GERD were in line with the cohort study conducted at the State University of New York in New York, USA which concluded that there was no relationship between BMI and GERD obtained from BMI testing with GERD endoscopic results with a p-value of 0.75 and from the results of BMI testing with a degree of GERD histopathological abnormality with a p-value of 0.16. 9 The same results were also found in a study at Sriwijaya University, Palembang, Indonesia with a regression test and found a relationship between obesity and GERD with a p-value of 0.001, but no relationship was found between overweight and GERD with a p-value of 0.988. This shows that increased BMI is not an independent risk factor of GERD.…”