HRQoL down for GERD with laryngopharyngeal reflux

(HealthDay)—For patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the presence of laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms (LPR) is associated with reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL), according to a study published online Jan. 3 in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Eun Jeong Gong, from the University of Ulsan College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues examined the impact of LPR symptoms on HRQoL in a sample of 300 Korean patients with GERD. One hundred fifty of the patients had LPR symptoms, as assessed using the reflux symptom index.

The researchers found that patients with GERD and LPR symptoms had lower mean HRQoL (as assessed by the EuroQoL-5 dimensions questionnaire) than those without LPR (0.88 versus 0.91). LPR symptom severity was related to decreased HRQoL and was independent of age, marital status, body mass index, or household income. Patients with GERD and LPR had lower overall satisfaction rate regarding treatment (40.0 versus 69.1 percent). Compared to those without LPR, GERD patients with LPR symptoms had greater sickness-related absent hours per week (0.36 versus 0.02 hours) and greater percentages of overall work impairment (31.1 versus 20.8 percent).

"GERD patients with LPR symptoms have a poorer HRQoL, a lower satisfaction rate, and a greater disease burden than those without LPR," the authors write.

The study was funded by a grant from Dong-A ST.