Stop Acid Reflux Blog

According to a recently published study, surgery to cure acid reflux disease, the most severe form of heartburn, has shown a high degree of long-term success.

The surgery, a laparoscopic procedure, in which a small tube is inserted into the abdomen, was carried out on a group of 1,340 people, and 93 percent have declared they are satisfied with the long-term results.

Acid reflux disease occurs when stomach acid moves into the esophagus after a muscular valve designed to prevent such leakage opens up.

Laparoscopic surgery for acid reflux involves strengthening that natural barrier by wrapping part of the stomach around the lower part of the esophagus.

In the study which was conducted at University Hospital, Angers, France, the patients were followed on average for more than seven years after the surgery.

Although almost 10 percent of the patients resumed taking heartburn medicine, in most no evidence of reflux recurrence could be found.

The report concluded that the results suggest that laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery is an effective long-term procedure, is well tolerated, and can be properly used in the treatment of acid reflux disease.

The study is published in the October issue of the Archives of Surgery http://archsurg.ama-assn.org/

Study Shows Need for Awareness about Acid Reflux Disease (ARD) and its Possible Long-Term Consequences

6.1 million Hispanics in the United States suffer from acid reflux disease(1), however a survey sponsored by AstraZeneca that was conducted in five U.S. cities with large Hispanic density, reveals that more than sixty percent (66%) of Hispanics are not familiar with common terms to describe the condition known as acid reflux. According to the new survey, although Hispanics are familiar with the symptoms of acid reflux, they don’t know that these symptoms may be part of a potentially more serious medical problem.

Suffering frequent symptoms of acid reflux, may not only affect everyday productivity and sleep, but can also cause potentially serious damage to the esophagus if not treated properly.

Acid reflux occurs when harsh acid passes back up into the esophagus, causing the inner lining of the esophagus to become irritated. A valve localized between the esophagus and the stomach called the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) muscle stops closing properly, allowing the stomach acid to go up to the esophagus. This can irritate the esophagus. Despite low awareness of the condition, twenty-one percent (21%) of people interviewed said they suffer from acid reflux related symptoms; two or more times a week.

“Acid reflux may be serious and can be treated. It affects approximately 29 million Americans,(2)” said Pedro Jose Greer, Jr., M.D, F.A.C.P., F.A.C.G, gastroenterologist affiliated with Mercy and Baptist hospitals in Miami. “Acid reflux often requires chronic medical treatment to properly control acid levels or it may result in long-term consequences such as serious damage to the esophagus. Generally speaking, Hispanics suffering from acid reflux think the only cure is to drink homemade tea or stop eating some of their favorite dishes or condiments. This is simply not true.”

Survey Results:

– Seventy-eight percent (78%) of participants suffer from heartburn

– Sixty-six percent (66%) noticed acidic or sour taste in their mouth

– Fifty-seven percent (57%) suffered from belching

– Twenty-three percent (23%) of Hispanic women tend to suffer from the symptoms compared to sixteen (16%) of Hispanic men, few participants felt these symptoms warrant medical attention.

“In some people, their normal esophageal tissue may lose its healthy condition (and develop erosions),” said Dr. Greer. “Only a doctor can determine if someone has these erosions and treat them accordingly.”

Acid reflux is potentially serious and may be treated. For more information, please call (toll free) 1-866-271-7278. Select option 2.

AstraZeneca’s public education efforts expand beyond gastrointestinal health to a variety of important conditions affecting the Hispanic community including: cardiovascular disease, childhood asthma, mental health and oncology.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted in five markets (Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami and Houston) with 1,001 Hispanics from August 8-17, 2005 by Impacto Group LLC. This survey was sponsored by AstraZeneca. More information on the survey is available upon request.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of over $21.4 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, respiratory, oncology and neuroscience products. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $9.6 billion healthcare business with more than 12,000 employees. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

About Acid Reflux

Of all the symptoms related to acid reflux, heartburn is the most common. Other symptoms of acid reflux can include: difficulty when swallowing (due to the acid that goes back to the esophagus) and regurgitation (sensation of stomach contents backing up into the throat).

Although acid reflux is caused by the back up of gastric acid into the esophagus, some foods or activities may also trigger these symptoms; for example, bending or lying down after eating, using tight clothing, eating chocolate, tea, alcohol or foods with high fat contents may trigger the symptoms. Doctors recommend keeping a journal to help them identify the foods and activities that benefit people who suffer from acid reflux. Likewise, it is important that persons suffering from these symptoms see a doctor who can evaluate them and recommend a treatment program.

1. Cheskin Research, August 2004
2. NHWS 2004, Consumer Health Sciences

(info from Hispanic PR Wire)

Heartburn occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, causing chest pain. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, as it’s called technically, has nothing to do with the heart … or does it? Polish researchers report that people with existing coronary artery disease may also have GERD, and this can trigger constriction of the heart’s blood vessels and cause ischemia — restricted bloody supply that can damage the heart further.

However, this chain of events can be prevented with drugs that reduce the production of gastric acid, the team reports in the International Journal of Cardiology.

Dr. Slawomir Dobrzycki from the Medical University in Bialystok and colleagues had 50 patients with proven coronary artery disease undergo 24-hour continuous recording of the acidity in the esophagus and the heart’s electrical rhythm.

Then the 23 patients found to have GERD were given the acid-reducing drug omeprazole to take twice daily for seven days. On the seventh day, the simultaneous ECG and acidity Holter monitoring was repeated.

Overall, 45 (21 percent) of a total of 218 episodes of heart ischemia seen on the ECG recording coincided with episodes of acid reflux. GERD patients had significantly more ischemic events.

However, by comparing the recordings obtained before and after treatment with omeprazole, the researchers concluded that the anti-reflux therapy reduced the amount of ischemia suffered by the heart.

They say a ‘’multidisciplinary approach'’ to evaluating patients with chest pain should be able to uncover the underlying problem and lead to the best treatment.

(info from Reuters)

Almost 20 percent of Americans suffer from recurring heartburn called Gastroesophageal Reflux disease, or Gerd. Gerd symptoms interfere with eating, sleeping, and daily living, and Gerd puts people at risk for complication and certain cancers including cancer of the esophagus.

There are a growing number of Americans who have Gastroesophogeal Reflux disease, also known as Gerd, which is defined as severe heartburn two or more times a week.

Previous studies and a new in Annals of Internal Medicine finds the the risk for reflux disease and its complications appears to be linked to weight gain.

Dr. Hashem B. El-Serag an MPH Associate Professor of Medicine at Baylor College and Michael E. DeBakey of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center believe that obesity raises the risk of refluxing more acid from the stomach into the esophagus and the possibility of cancer associated with Gerd.

According to Dr. El-Serag reflux disease can be treated with the over-the-counter antacids and stronger prescription medications. But the best and simplest way to combat Gerd is to maintain a health weight.

The researchers analyzed nine studies done from 1966 to 2004. Six studies showed a notable link between obesity and GERD.

“The association between BMI and GERD complications was markedly consistent,” write the researchers. None of the studies showed any GERD benefits from obesity, and the studies that didn’t strongly link obesity and GERD tilted in that direction, they write.

In eight of the nine studies, as BMI (body mass index — a measure of body fat ) rose, so did GERD symptoms, write the researchers, who set quality standards for the studies they reviewed.

What’s the Connection?

How does obesity make GERD more likely? The researchers aren’t sure.

They mention a few theories, including excess body fat compressing the stomach, the effects of food (especially fatty foods), and hernias. But they didn’t find evidence that settled the matter.

The GERD-obesity link should get more research, write Hampel and colleagues.

Meanwhile, they offer this advice: “It is prudent to counsel all overweight patients who present with GERD-related diseases that weight loss may help improve symptoms.”

( Sources: Hampel, H. Annals of Internal Medicine, Aug. 2, 2005; vol 143: pp 199-211. WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) — Topic Overview.” News release, American College of Physicians.)

Darlene Van Hoos has always enjoyed spicy foods. What she didn’t like were the after effects.

Darlene has gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. She didn’t want to take medication indefinitely, so she jumped at the chance to be in a study using the Plicator.

The Plicator uses a guide wire to help doctors move the snake-like device through the esophagus into the stomach. The Plicator pulls back tissue where the stomach and esophagus meet. Jaws clamp down and deploy an implant that sutures the tissue.

Doctors tighten the valve between the stomach and esophagus, restoring normal anti-reflux barrier. The procedure replicates what’s done in surgery.

Because it’s done in a thirty minute outpatient procedure, doctors think patients will welcome the idea.

Darlene has noticed a big difference. Now she can experience the pleasure of eating without the pain of heartburn.

The Plicator has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration, and it’s available for heartburn sufferers.