Clinical Characteristics of Elderly Patients with Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Summary Background Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common upper gastrointestinal disease, and almost 30% of GERD patients do not respond well to proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical characteristics of elderly GERD patients who either respond to or resist PPI therapy. Methods A total of 198 patients (75.9 ± 6.4 years, 73.7% males) with GERD receiving PPI treatment were enrolled in this study. Enrolled patients were requested to complete a questionnaire and a personal interview concerning their demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, and endoscopic findings. Results Among the 198 enrolled patients, 135 responded to PPI once or twice daily (Group R), while 63 failed to respond to PPI twice daily (Group F). Cross-group differences were detected for body mass index ( p  = 0.042), family status ( p  = 0.028), depression (0.7% vs. 7.9%, p  = 0.03), compliance (77% vs. 60%, p  = 0.015), and hiatal hernia (6.7% vs. 17.5%, p  = 0.019). Conclusion PPI failure appears to be significantly influenced by body mass index, family status, depression, compliance, and hiatal hernia of GERD patients.