BACKGROUND Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic disease with a negative impact on the quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the reflux symptoms and the health-related quality of life in a population with GERD. METHODS Data from patients with GERD, according to the Montreal definition, were collected between January and December 2009. The enrolled patients we...

BACKGROUND - Medical literature has shown dyspepsia and heartburn-related symptoms occur among 15% to 40% of the population. These symptoms can occur at any age and are more prevalent in women. OBJECTIVE - Investigate the prevalence of dyspeptic symptoms and heartburn among individuals over 18. METHODS - Individuals over 18 were randomly selected in public venues in Belo Horizonte/MG to par...

Noxious stimuli in the esophagus activate nociceptive receptors on esophageal mucosa, such as transient receptor potential, acid-sensing ion channel and the P2X family, a family of ligand-gated ion channels responsive to ATP, and this generates signals that are transmitted to the central nervous system via either spinal nerves or vagal nerves, resulting in esophageal sensation. Among the noxiou...

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disorder in Western countries. For many years our attention has been focused on patients with erosive esophagitis, but in recent times we have realized that endoscopy-negative reflux disease is the most common presentation of this illness, affecting up to 70% of these individuals. Patients with the non-erosive form (NERD) are a heterogeneous gr...

OBJECTIVE To identify predictors of long-term outcome of laparoscopic Heller myotomy for achalasia, including predictors of heartburn and recurrent dysphagia, which occasionally develop postoperatively. DESIGN Retrospective review using interviews of patients. SETTING Academic university hospital. PATIENTS One hundred sixty-five patients with achalasia who underwent a laparoscopic esophag...

BACKGROUND Omeprazole and lansoprazole are 2 proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) currently available in the United States. Both PPIs are approved for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and are commonly converted in therapeutic interchange programs. OBJECTIVE To measure clinical and humanistic outcomes in patients with GERD converted from treatment with omeprazole to treatment w...

BACKGROUND Gastric reflux can reach into the upper airway, inducing cellular damage in the epithelial lining. This condition is believed to be a risk factor for development of laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LPSCC), although the literature is conflicting. METHODS To better clarify this relationship, we assessed the association of self-reported heartburn history and medication use a...

BACKGROUND Higher body mass index (BMI) is a recognised risk factor for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Data regarding the impact of BMI on proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy are conflicting. AIM To assess the impact of BMI on baseline heartburn symptom severity and frequency and response to PPI therapy in patients with non-erosive GERD (NERD) or erosive oesophagitis (EO). METHOD...

Several investigators have observed that repeated acid infusions induce stronger symptoms (symptom hypersensitivity). The goal of our study was to determine whether symptom hypersensitivity is associated with esophageal contractile hypersensitivity. Subjects with chronic heartburn symptoms underwent simultaneous pressure and ultrasound imaging of esophagus. Normal saline and 0.1 N HCl were sequ...

BACKGROUND When measuring treatment effect on symptoms, the treatment success variable should be as responsive as possible. The aim of the study was to investigate the responsiveness of various treatment success variables in patients with symptoms of heartburn. METHODS A total of 1640 patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) were treated with proton pump inhibitors for 4 weeks. Treatme...