Prevalência da esofagite erosiva antes e após 1 ano da pandemia da covid-19 - revisão de literatura

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought several changes to people's lives worldwide. These changes were directly related to an increase in obesity and mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, panic disorder, among others. These conditions, driven by the fear of contracting the disease and death, were associated with the occurrence of other diseases, including gastrointestinal disorders such as erosive esophagitis. Erosive esophagitis is a condition that can be visualized through endoscopic and histopathological alterations in individuals with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). It can be classified based on aspects of the lesion, such as the number and extent of erosions. Persistent erosive esophagitis can lead to the development of esophageal ulcers, bleeding, esophageal stricture, and Barrett's esophagus. This article aimed to compare the prevalence of erosive esophagitis and its behavior in the years before and after the pandemic and correlate the diagnosis of this condition with gender and age. A descriptive study in the form of a literature review was conducted. Scientific articles were selected from the MEDLINE database via PubMed and the Virtual Health Library (BVS), using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) descriptors, represented by "esophagitis," "reflux esophagitis," "erosive," and "COVID-19." The included articles were published from 2016 to 2023, in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, focusing on human research related to the theme. Articles that did not address erosive esophagitis or did not use the Los Angeles classification (1999) in the study were excluded. Editorials, duplicate articles, editor's letters, qualitative research, and those unrelated to the topic were also removed. Data from articles between 2016 and 2023 were collected regarding the prevalence of erosive esophagitis and its behavior before and after the pandemic up to 2023, including gender, age, and the severity of lesions according to the Los Angeles classification of 1999 in the studies. An increase in the number of cases of erosive esophagitis was observed, which began to be noticed from 1995 but may have intensified after 2020. This is due to the changes that the COVID-19 pandemic brought to people's lifestyles. Studies indicate that some risk factors for this condition intensified during this period, such as obesity, stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, and poor diet. This study presents data on the increase in erosive esophagitis over the past 7 years, associated with obesity, alcohol consumption, and smoking, being more common in males and affecting individuals aged 40 to 59 years. These risk factors for erosive esophagitis were significantly present during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they may have contributed to the increased incidence of this digestive system disorder. We suggest that further studies be conducted to raise awareness among the general population about prevention, which can significantly improve the quality of life for these patients.