Review article: quality‐of‐life issues in gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease

Summary The purpose of this review is to explore issues relating to quality of life in gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease, examining the range of generic and disease‐specific instruments available, their applicability and limitations and to overview the effect of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease on quality of life. Whereas instruments have been developed to assist researchers, there is a paucity of reliable instruments for pragmatic use in the clinical setting. The situation is complicated because there is not necessarily a direct correlation between endoscopic findings and symptom severity and non‐erosive reflux disease is now recognized as an important manifestation of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease. However, quality‐of‐life instruments are useful in evaluating the impact of therapies and interventions, although these are limited, particularly in surgical interventions. Impaired quality of life now forms part of a definition of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease, the impact of which goes beyond the symptoms alone. While the symptoms themselves have a negative effect on sufferers’ lives, there are secondary effects caused by impaired physical, emotional and social functioning on productivity. Non‐gastrointestinal problems caused by gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease also impair quality of life. There is an ongoing need to develop instruments which truly measure the impact of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease and which are readily interpretable to the individual patient and clinician.