Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a digestive disorder that causes heartburn and other uncomfortable symptoms, may affect around a third of US adults each week, reports a new study.
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For their research, published today in the journal Gastroenterology, investigators conducted an online survey of more than 71,000 people age 18 or over across the US, asking them if they experienced specific GERD symptoms and how often, and if they were taking drugs for it.
"Our study is among the largest and most diverse population-based studies on gastrointestinal symptoms ever conducted," said Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS, director of Cedars-Sinai's Health Service Research, professor of Medicine and corresponding author of the journal article. Most previous published research on GERD, which found a somewhat lower incidence of the disease than this study did, was conducted within limited geographic areas or with a less representative sampling of US adults, he explained.
An important feature of the new study was its finding that more than half of GERD patients who took popular over-the-counter drugs known as proton pump inhibitors, designed to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach, still reported persistent symptoms.
The survey also indicated that certain categories of people, including younger people, women, Latinos, and people with irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease, were less likely to respond to proton pump inhibitors.
"Given the significant effect of GERD on quality of life for millions of Americans, further research and development of new therapies are needed to help patients whose disease does not respond to proton pump inhibitors," said Spiegel, who also directs the Cedars-Sinai Center for Outcomes Research and Education.
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Out of 71,812 people who responded to the survey, 44.1% reported experiencing GERD symptoms in the past and 30.9% in the last week. More than a third of the GERD sufferers said they were currently on therapy, mostly involving proton pump inhibitors. Of those taking daily proton pump inhibitors, 54.1% reported persistent GERD symptoms.
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Source-Eurekalert