Table 1.
Patient characteristics.
| Characteristics, n = 2141 | |
| Mean age (range), years | 54 (18–93) |
| Gender, n (%) | 1291 females (60%) |
| Median BMI (range), kg/m2 | 25 (14–57) |
| Dominant symptom | |
| Dysphagia, n (%) | 547 (26%) |
| GERD symptoms, n (%) | 749 (35%) |
| Oropharyngeal dysphagia and/or ENT symptoms, n (%) | 241 (11%) |
| Cough, asthma, pneumonia, n (%) | 150 (7%) |
| Chest pain, n (%) | 137 (6%) |
| Abdominal symptomsa, n (%) | 162 (8%) |
| Belching, n (%) | 44 (2%) |
| Connective tissue disease, myositis, n (%) | 84 (4%) |
| Miscellaneousb, n (%) | 27 (1%) |
| Median Eckardt score (range) | 2 (0–12) |
| Score ≥ 3c, n (%) | 961 (45%) |
| Median GERD-Q score (range) | 7 (0–18) |
| Score ≥ 9d, n (%) | 809 (38%) |
BMI: body mass index; GERD: gastroesophageal reflux disease; ENT: ear, nose and throat; GERD-Q: gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire.
a
Abdominal symptoms included nausea, vomiting, subocclusion and constipation.
b
Miscellaneous dominant symptoms included hiccup, halitosis, no symptoms (evaluation before bariatric surgery), suspicion of rumination, food impaction, vocal cord granuloma and fever.
c
An Eckardt score ≥ 3/12 defines achalasia-type symptom severity.24
d
A GERD-Q score ≥ 9 is in favor of pathological GERD.23