Reduced gastroesophageal reflux disease symptom severity following upper airway surgery for comorbid obstructive...

To evaluate patient-reported quality of life pertaining to gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms in patients undergoing upper airway surgery for comorbid obstructive sleep apnea.

A prospective survey-based study was conducted on patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and comorbid obstructive sleep apnea receiving surgery from July 2020-December 2020. Patients completed the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease-Health Related Quality of Life Questionnaire at two time-points: one week before surgery and at 6 months following surgery. Disease-related symptoms were rated from 0 (no symptoms) to 5 (incapacitating symptoms). Patient survey scores, demographics, medications, and sleep study parameters were collected for analysis. A p-value <0.05 indicated statistical significance.

Twenty-two patients completed the baseline preoperative and 6-month postoperative questionnaires. Median baseline vs. 6-month survey scores significantly decreased for symptoms including heartburn in general (3.0 vs. 2.0, p = 0.006), when lying down (2.5 vs. 1.5, p = 0.046), when standing (2.0 vs 1.0, p = 0.003), following meals (2.0 vs. 2.0, p = 0.042), and cumulative survey score (15.5 vs. 11.0, p = 0.029). Heartburn altering diet or sleep, odynophagia, dysphagia, and medication burden did not change following surgery (p > 0.05). More patients were satisfied with their postoperative condition compared to baseline, however this did not reach statistical significance (40.9% vs. 18.2%, p = 0.18).

Our results suggest that upper airway surgery to treat obstructive sleep apnea may have a positive impact on patient-reported symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, and further investigation into the role of surgery in this setting for improvement of both quality of life and true clinical disease severity is merited.