Clinical Evaluation of Risk Factors in Elderly patients with Reflux Esophagitis / 대한소화관운동학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The elderly patients with reflux esophagitis are less likely to feel or report their symptoms than the younger patients, even though they are more prone to complications such as bleeding, stricture or Barrett's esophagus. In this study we tried to investigate risk factors in the elderly patients who had endoscopically diagnosed reflux esophagitis. METHODS: Clinical data of six hundred and eighty seven patients with reflux esophagitis were reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 687 patients with reflux esophagitis, two hundred and thirteen (31%) were 60 or more than 60 years old. The frequency of accompanying hiatal hernia in the elderly group (age>or=60) was significantly higher than the younger group (age<60) (16.9%, 36/213 vs. 3.4%, 16/474, p<0.05). There was significant difference according age in the female group (0.9%, 1/114 vs. 22.7%, 22/97, p<0.05). The frequency of atropic gastritis was significantly higher in the elderly group than in the younger group , while other factors such as smoking, H. pylori and peptic ulcer disease were not different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Among the risk factors of reflux esophagitis, the existence of hiatal hernia seems to be suggested more relevant to the development of this condition in the elderly group.