Relationship between endoscopic findings and apnea-hypopnea index in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and obstructive sleep apnea

Aim: To asses the relationship between severity of gastroesophageal reflux disease and apnea-hypopnea index as an indicator of the severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Materials and Methods: Data of 57 patients with proven obstructive sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to severity of the sleep apnea: “mild-moderate“ (A) – apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 5–30, n=27, “severe“ (B) – apnea-hypopnea index >30, n=30. All patients underwent apnea monitoring during the night, upper panendoscopy and were asked about typical reflux symptoms.

Results: All examined patients in both groups showed a significant overweight and there was a positive correlation between body mass index and the severity of sleep apnea (P=0.0002). The occurence of erosive reflux disease was significantly higher in “severe“ group (P=0.0001). Using a logistic regression analysis a positive correlation was found between the endoscopic severity of reflux disease and the apnea-hypopnea index (P=0.016). 49.5% of the patients experienced typical symptoms of reflux disease at least three times a week and there was no significant difference between the two groups.

Conclusion: A positive correlation can be found between the severity of gastroesophageal reflux disease and obstructive sleep apnea.