Endoscopic Anatomy of Hiatal Hernia and its Relationship with C-Reactive Protein Levels: A Case-Control Study
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between endoscopically determined hiatal hernia and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients.
Methods: This retrospective case-control study was conducted among 166 patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at Giresun Training and Research Hospital between March 2024 and May 2025. Of these patients, 83 were with hiatal hernia (case group), and 83 were without hiatal hernia (control group), matched by age and gender in a 1:1 ratio. Hiatal hernia was diagnosed endoscopically when the distance between the Z-line and the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) exceeded 2 cm. Demographic characteristics, endoscopic parameters such as GEJ level and Z-GEJ distance, concomitant endoscopic findings, and CRP levels were compared between the groups.
Results: The groups were demographically homogeneous regarding age (66.72±13.70 vs 66.19±13.70 years, P>0.05) and gender distribution (P=1.00). GEJ level and Z-GEJ distance were significantly higher in the case group (P<0.001). CRP levels were significantly elevated in the hiatal hernia group compared to controls (9.29±25.45 vs 3.01±7.62 mg/L, P<0.001). The prevalence of gastritis and duodenitis was significantly higher in the case group (P<0.001). ROC analysis demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.696 (95% CI: 0.617-0.776) for CRP at a cut-off value of 2.215 mg/L, with 67.5% sensitivity, 63.9% specificity, and 65.7% accuracy. However, CRP was not found to be an independent predictor of hiatal hernia in multivariate logistic regression analysis, suggesting that its elevation may reflect a broader systemic inflammatory context.
Conclusion: Patients with hiatal hernia showed elevated CRP levels on univariate analysis, suggesting a systemic inflammatory component. While CRP may serve as a supportive biomarker reflecting inflammatory burden, its independent predictive value was limited in multivariate analysis. Therefore, it cannot be used as a standalone diagnostic test and should complement endoscopic evaluation.
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Ethical Statement
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Anatomy
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Arif Keskin
*
0000-0002-1634-1091
Türkiye
Tayfun Aygün
0000-0001-5058-3513
Türkiye
Ahmet Dülger
0000-0002-9328-5185
Türkiye
Early Pub Date
May 19, 2026
Publication Date
May 31, 2026
Submission Date
April 2, 2026
Acceptance Date
May 17, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 3 Number: 2