Recurrence of gastro-esophageal reflux symptoms after anti-reflux surgery

Abstract

Background: Considering the global impact of Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) on healthcare and its adverse effects on the quality of life for the world\'s population, this study aimed to assess the outcomes of anti-reflux surgery, mainly the recurrence of symptoms, at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from May to August 2022. Data were collected from patients\' electronic medical files. A pre-designed checklist was prepared to collect data on patients\' demographics, BMI, smoking and alcohol status, comorbidities, GERD complications, heartburn and regurgitation severity, and gastroscopy findings. Results: In this study, we collected data for 78 patients with a mean age of 42.05 ± 15.06 years. Among the patients, 53.8% were males, and 35.9% were overweight. Concerning health status, 36% of the patients reported a history of reflux surgery, and 88.5% had other comorbidities, with hiatal hernia being the most common. Re-operative treatments were reported in six patients (7.7%). Improvement of symptoms after surgery was reported in 82.1% of the patients. Age was a significant factor affecting the success of the surgery, with older patients reporting improvement (P=0.035). Additionally, asthma and obstructive sleep apnea were associated with significantly worse results after surgery (P=0.013 and 0.031). Conclusion: The recurrence rate was 7.7% in our study. Asthma and sleep apnea were associated with worse surgical outcomes. Milder symptoms were associated with a higher percentage of postoperative improvement.