Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

New research identifies practice changes to improve value and quality of GI procedures

There are significant cost and risk factors associated with two procedures commonly used to diagnose or treat gastrointestinal problems, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW).

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created 12 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Implanted 'bracelet' helps treat chronic heartburn (Update 2)

A tiny magnetic bracelet implanted at the base of the throat is greatly improving life for some people with chronic heartburn who get limited relief from medicines. It's a novel way to treat severe acid reflux, ...

Cardiology created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Parents will push for medication, even if doc says not needed

(HealthDay)—When doctors use quick-and-easy disease labels to sum up symptoms of concern in an otherwise healthy infant, parents are more apt to want to treat their child with some type of medication, even ...

Pediatrics created Apr 01, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study shows effectiveness of magnetic device for treatment of reflux disease

A study published February 21st in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) provides clinical evidence of the safety and effectiveness of a new magnetic medical device to treat gastroesophageal reflux diseas ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 25, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Bracelet-like device controls chronic acid reflux, study finds

A bracelet-like device with magnetic beads can control the chronic digestive disorder gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to a study published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Prescription problems for vets on reflux drug

U.S. veterans diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are frequently prescribed doses of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as omeprazole (commonly known by brand names such as Prilosec), that are much higher ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study shows long-term efficacy of minimally invasive therapy for patients with Barrett's esophagus

According to a new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, patients with Barrett's esophagus and early or pre-cancerous cells have been shown to significantly benefit from ...

Cancer created Feb 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Chronic heartburn could spur asthma in some patients

(HealthDay)—Chronic heartburn is a major cause of asthma in adults, a new study suggests.

Surgery created Jan 25, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Pill-sized device provides rapid, detailed imaging of esophageal lining

Physicians may soon have a new way to screen patients for Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition usually caused by chronic exposure to stomach acid. Researchers at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine ...

Medical research created Jan 13, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (5) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Children born prematurely are at higher risk of esophageal inflammation, cancer

Infants that are born preterm or with impaired growth have an increased risk of developing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), possibly leaving them vulnerable to the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma later in ...

Health created Dec 11, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Upper endoscopy is overused in patients with heartburn

Heartburn is one of the most common reasons for people to see a doctor, and some physicians often use upper endoscopy to diagnose and manage gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). But most patients do not require the procedure ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Dec 03, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New research highlights changing epidemiology of Clostridium difficile

A stay in the hospital may not be the only way to acquire Clostridium difficile diarrhea – but the potentially life-threatening infection may be associated with a number of health complications in hospitalized children, accord ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Oct 22, 2012 | popularity 2 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of Barrett's Esophagus

Patients with Type 2 Diabetes may face an increased risk for Barrett's Esophagus (BE), regardless of other risk factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), according ...

Diabetes created Oct 22, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Untreated heartburn may raise risk for esophageal cancer, study says

(HealthDay) -- Rates of esophageal cancer have surged due to a lack of awareness about what causes the disease and how it can be prevented, experts say.

Cancer created Jul 26, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Medical follow-up in celiac disease is less than optimal

Follow-up exams for patients with celiac disease are often inadequate and highly variable, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastro ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Jul 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), gastric reflux disease, or acid reflux disease is a chronic symptom of mucosal damage caused by stomach acid coming up from the stomach into the esophagus. A typical symptom is heartburn.

GERD is usually caused by changes in the barrier between the stomach and the esophagus, including abnormal relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, which normally holds the top of the stomach closed; impaired expulsion of gastric reflux from the esophagus, or a hiatal hernia. These changes may be permanent or temporary ("transient").

Another kind of acid reflux, which causes respiratory and laryngeal signs and symptoms, is called laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) or "extraesophageal reflux disease" (EERD). Unlike GERD, LPR is unlikely to produce heartburn, and is sometimes called silent reflux.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Latest Spotlight News

Researchers identify a potential new risk for sleep apnea: Asthma

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have identified a potential new risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea: asthma. Using data from the National Institutes of Health (Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)-funded Wisconsin ...

Study finds that sleep apnea and Alzheimer's are linked

A new study looking at sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and markers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuroimaging adds to the growing body of research linking the two.

Computational tool translates complex data into simplified 2-dimensional images

In their quest to learn more about the variability of cells between and within tissues, biomedical scientists have devised tools capable of simultaneously measuring dozens of characteristics of individual ...

New theory on genesis of osteoarthritis comes with successful therapy in mice

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, ...

'Gap' for HIV vaccine efforts after latest setback

The hunt for an HIV vaccine has gobbled up $8 billion in the past decade, and the failure of the most recent efficacy trial has delivered yet another setback to 26 years of efforts.

Consuming coffee linked to lower risk of detrimental liver disease, study finds

Regular consumption of coffee is associated with a reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), an autoimmune liver disease, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings were being presented at the Digestive Disease ...

Ketamine shows significant therapeutic benefit in people with treatment-resistant depression

Patients with treatment-resistant major depression saw dramatic improvement in their illness after treatment with ketamine, an anesthetic, according to the largest ketamine clinical trial to-date led by researchers from the ...

Returning genetic incidental findings without patient consent violates basic rights, experts say

Informed consent is the backbone of patient care. Genetic testing has long required patient consent and patients have had a "right not to know" the results. However, as 21st century medicine now begins to use the tools of ...

Vicious cycle: Obesity sustained by changes in brain biochemistry

With obesity reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the world, scientists have only begun to understand why it is such a persistent condition. A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry adds substantially to the st ...

White matter imaging provides insight into human and chimpanzee aging

(Medical Xpress)—The instability of "white matter" in humans may contribute to greater cognitive decline during the aging of humans compared with chimpanzees, scientists from Yerkes National Primate Research ...