Sex-specific association of visceral and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue with gastroesophageal reflux disease: a large-scale perspective cohort study.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have revealed an association between abdominal obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) but body size differences across genders were not fully considered. We aimed to investigate the sex-specific associations of abdominal adipose with incident GERD.

METHODS

Participants from the UK Biobank with complete data on magnetic resonance imaging-dervied visceral adipose tissue (VAT), abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT), and without GERD at the time of image assessment were included (N = 35,009; 52.11% female). Associations of VAT, ASAT, and several other derivative abdominal adipose-related indicators with incident GERD were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 4.44 years, 1,207 (3.45%) participants developed GERD. In females, when comparing the highest tertile with the lowest tertile, the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were 2.24 (95% CI, 1.81-2.77) for VAT and 2.01 (95% CI, 1.64-2.46) for ASAT. In males, only VAT (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.23-1.87) but not ASAT (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.96-1.42) was associated with an increased risk of GERD after full adjustment. For both VAT and ASAT, the incidence rate of GERD in the lowest tertile was higher in males, but their elevation clearly had a greater impact on GERD risk in females. Subgroup analyses indicated that effects of VAT and ASAT on GERD risk were more pronounced among younger individuals in females, and they were influenced by comorbidity status in both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed positive associations between abdominal adipose components and GERD in both sexes, which were stronger in females than males. Our findings provide evidence that gender may be a factor to be considered in the risk assessment and management of GERD, although validation in larger cohort of general populations is required.