PPI-Refractory GERD in systemic sclerosis is driven by distinct esophageal and gastric motility abnormalities

Clicks: 1
ID: 325441
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal

Ranked #184 of 197 articles by views in Lara D. Veeken

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 197 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is highly prevalent in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and frequently persists despite proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. However, the mechanisms underlying PPI-refractory GERD in SSc remain incompletely understood. Methods: We conducted a single centre, retrospective study of adults with SSc who underwent ambulatory pH-multichannel intraluminal impedance (pH/MII) monitoring while receiving twice daily PPI therapy (2021-2025). Esophageal motility (high resolution manometry, HREM) and gastric emptying scintigraphy were integrated to examine associations between gastroesophageal dysmotility and reflux phenotypes. Results: Thirty patients were included, of whom 67% had PPI-refractory reflux symptoms and 33% were undergoing pre-lung transplantation evaluation. Refractory GERD was present in 29/30 patients (97%) based on Lyon 2.0 classification, with conclusive evidence in 53% and borderline evidence in 43%. Esophageal dysmotility was identified in 80%, most commonly absent contractility (67%), and was associated with impaired reflux clearance, reflected by longer acid clearance times (2.20 [1.15-3.75] vs 1.15 [0.43-1.90] min) and prolonged reflux episode duration (16.60 [4.38-40.63] vs 1.95 [0.53-20.43] min). Gastric dysmotility was identified in 60.7% and was associated with an increased reflux episode burden (51.00 [30.00-81.50] vs 25.00 [21.00-54.00] episodes/24h). Conclusions: PPI refractory GERD is nearly universal in this SSc cohort and reflects heterogeneous, quantifiable abnormalities across the foregut, including impaired esophageal clearance and increased reflux burden related to gastric retention. These findings support integrated physiologic evaluation to define reflux mechanisms, inform risk stratification (including lung transplantation), and guide targeted, mechanism-based therapies beyond acid suppression.
Reference Key
openalex_W7154257556 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Luis G Alcala Gonzalez, Alfredo Guillén del Castillo, Francisco A Felix Tellez, Ariadna Aguilar Cayuelas, Claudia Barber Caselles, Carolina Malagelada, Laura Polo Figueras, Laura Triginer, Clàudia Codina Clavaguera, Michael Hughes, Carmen Pilar Simeón Aznar, Jordi Serra, Zsuzsanna H. McMahan
Journal Lara D. Veeken
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/rheumatology/keag451
URL
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.