The Effect of Metabolic Risk Factors on the Natural Course of Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease

Yi-Chia Lee ¹, Amy Ming-Fang Yen ², John Jen Tai ², Shu-Hui Chang ², Jaw-Town Lin ³, Han-Mo Chiu ³, Hsiu-Po Wang ³, Ming-Shiang Wu ³ and Tony Hsiu-Hsi Chen ^2*

¹ Division of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, and the Departments of Internal Medicine, Taiwan
² Division of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
³ Departments of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: stony{at}episerv.cph.ntu.edu.tw.

Accepted 22 September 2008

Abstract

Background & Aims: We quantified the effect of metabolic risk factors on the natural course of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), which remains elusive.

Methods: Our population included 3,669 subjects undergoing repeated upper endoscopy. Data were analyzed using a three-state Markov model to estimate transition rates (according to the Los Angeles classification) regarding the natural course of the disease. Individual risk score together with the kinetic curve was derived by identifying significant factors responsible for the net force between progression and regression.

Results: During three consecutive study periods, 12.2%, 14.9%, and 17.9% of subjects, respectively, progressed from non-erosive to erosive disease, whereas 42.5%, 37.3%, and 34.6%, respectively, regressed to the non-erosive stage. The annual transition rate from non-erosive to class A-B disease was 0.151 per person year (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.136-V0.165) and from class A-B to C-D was 0.079 per person year (95%CI, 0.063-V0.094). The regression rate from class A-B to non-erosive disease was 0.481 per person year (95%CI, 0.425-0.536). Class C-D, however, appeared to be an absorbing state when not properly treated. Being male (relative risk [RR], 4.31; 95%CI, 3.22¡V5.75), smoking (RR, 1.20; 95%CI, 1.03-V1.39), or metabolic syndrome (RR, 1.75; 95%CI, 1.29-V2.38) independently increased the likelihood of progressing from non-erosive to an erosive stage of disease and/or lowered the likelihood of disease regression. The short-term use of acid suppressants (RR, 0.54; 95%CI, 0.39-V0.75) raised the likelihood of regression from erosive to non-erosive disease.

Conclusions: Intraesophageal damage is a dynamic and migratory process in which the metabolic syndrome is associated with accelerated progression to or attenuated regression from erosive states. These findings have important implications for the design of effective prevention and screening strategies.