The effect of anthropometric and metabolic parameters on the development of erosive reflux disease in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease

Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common health problem worldwide. Previous studies have reported that central obesity associated with visceral steatosis is an important problem in digestive system diseases, especially reflux-related diseases. This study aimed to examine the effect of body fat distribution on the development of erosive esophagitis. Methods: A total of 131 individuals, 105 patients and 26 healthy volunteers, were included in this study. The FSSG questionnaire was applied to all individuals. Patients with an FSSG questionnaire score of 10 or more underwent upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy. Patients with esophagitis on endoscopy were included in the erosive esophagitis group, whereas patients without esophagitis were included in the non-erosive group. Serum biochemistry (fasting glucose, insulin, lipid panel, uric acid, TSH, AST, ALT) analyzes were performed. Waist circumference was measured. Body compositions were evaluated using the bioelectrical impedance method (Tanita). Results: Erosive esophagitis was found in 68 of 105 patients enrolled in the study, and non-erosive esophagitis in 37. There was no statistically significant difference in age, BMI, and waist circumference between the erosive, non-erosive and control groups. The visceral fat percentage was higher in the erosive esophagitis group than the other groups (p <0.001). At the end of the pairwise comparison of the groups, it was found that visceral fat value was higher in the erosive group than the non-erosive and control groups, while the visceral fat value was similar in the control and non-erosive groups. Except for the control group, when comparing the erosive and non-erosive groups, it was found that most of the patients in the erosive group were male, their FFM values and muscle mass were relatively high, and visceral fat values were significantly higher. Conclusion: An increase in visceral fat is a more important risk factor for the development of erosive esophagitis than obesity, waist circumference and increased BMI.