Systematic review: the association between symptomatic response to proton pump inhibitors and health-related quality of life in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

Background: Some patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) experience persistent reflux symptoms on proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. The relationship between persistent reflux symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is unclear.

Aim: To assess the relationship between persistent reflux symptoms on PPI therapy and HRQoL in patients with GERD.

Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed and Embase. Eligible studies had to have used psychometrically evaluated patient reported outcome instruments to assess HRQoL.

Results: Nine studies were included; supplementary data were obtained for four of these. The effect of persistent reflux symptoms despite PPI therapy on physical HRQoL was assessed in seven studies and that on mental HRQoL in five studies. Compared with patients whose reflux symptoms responded to PPIs, those with persistent symptoms had, on average, 8-16% lower scores for physical health (five studies) and 2-12% lower scores for mental health (three studies). Three studies included data on the effect of baseline HRQoL on subsequent symptomatic response to PPI therapy. Patients with persistent symptoms had clinically relevant lower psychological well-being at baseline compared with those whose symptoms responded to PPIs (average score difference: 7%; two studies). High anxiety levels at baseline seemed to be an important aspect of persistent symptoms.

Conclusions: Persistent reflux symptoms on PPI therapy are associated with reduced physical and mental HRQoL, while reduced mental HRQoL at baseline seems to impair symptomatic response to PPIs. HRQoL may need to be considered alongside reflux symptom frequency and severity when making decisions about disease management.