Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease News and Research

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Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a more serious form of gastroesophageal reflux (GER), which is common. GER occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) opens spontaneously, for varying periods of time, or does not close properly and stomach contents rise up into the esophagus. GER is also called acid reflux or acid regurgitation, because digestive juices—called acids—rise up with the food. The esophagus is the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. The LES is a ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus that acts like a valve between the esophagus and stomach.

Heartburn and cancer: an interview with Mindy Mintz Mordecai

What most of us think of as heartburn is a symptom of Reflux Disease or GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). It’s that burning discomfort an individual experiences when stomach acids and other fluids come back up into their esophagus.

14 Aug 2012

AstraZeneca enters agreement with Pfizer for OTC NEXIUM

Pfizer Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca for the over-the-counter (OTC) rights for NEXIUM (esomeprazole magnesium), a leading prescription drug currently approved to treat the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

14 Aug 2012

Follow-up exams for patients with celiac disease are often inadequate and highly variable

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 Gastroenterological Association (AGA).

26 Jul 2012

Esophageal biopsy advised in children with foreign body impaction

Study findings suggest that a considerable number of children with esophageal foreign body or food bolus impaction have eosinophilic esophagitis.

24 Jul 2012

Lesogaberan development halts following disappointing results

Lesogaberan is only marginally superior to placebo in gastroesophageal reflux disease patients who are partially responsive to proton pump inhibitor therapy, results show.

10 Jul 2012

Diaphragm muscles show osteopathic training potential

Osteopathic manipulative intervention to obtain functional equilibrium of the diaphragm increases lower esophageal sphincter pressure in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, researchers have found.

10 Jul 2012

Covidien launches new HALO ablation catheter to treat Barrett's esophagus

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced the launch of the HALO90 ULTRA Ablation Catheter, the latest addition to the HALO family of catheters for the endoscopic treatment of Barrett's esophagus.

18 May 2012

Inflammation might be an important factor in the progression from reﬂux to esophageal cancer

Inﬂammation might be an important factor in the progression from reﬂux to esophageal cancer, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

11 May 2012

Bile plays a critical role in development of Barrett's esophagus

For many people with gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, acid reflux drugs are the answer to their woes, curbing the chronic heartburn and regurgitation of food or sour liquid characteristic of the disorder. But when it comes to Barrett's esophagus, a condition commonly found in people with GERD, acid control may be less important than beating back another bodily fluid - bile.

25 Apr 2012

PPIs improve sleep and daytime quality of life for sufferers of GERD

The use of proton pump inhibitors improves the sleep and daytime quality of life for sufferers of gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to a systematic literature review in the April 2012 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

12 Apr 2012

Mayo Clinic to offer novel device for patients with GERD

Mayo Clinic in Florida will be one of the first health care institutions in the United States to offer a newly approved device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The condition, also known as acid reflux disease, can lead to serious health problems.

12 Apr 2012

UCSD surgeon implants new INX device in a 29-year old patient with GERD

On Monday, April 9, Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery at UC San Diego Health System implanted the new FDA-approved LINX device in a 29-year old patient suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic digestive disease that can lead to severe inflammation, stricture, Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer.

10 Apr 2012

USPTO issues patent to iSonea's ultrasound-based cough detector

Medical technology company iSonea Ltd. today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent 2009/0216127 A1 covering its cough count technology in the field of acoustic monitoring of respiratory diseases.

15 Mar 2012

Study examines impact of EHR on childhood obesity evaluation

Electronic health records and embedded tools can alert and direct pediatricians so they can better manage the weight of children and teenagers, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published online in The Journal of Pediatrics.

22 Feb 2012

Patients with GERD benefit from radiofrequency ablation

Heartburn. Acid reflux, GERD. They're different terms for the same type of condition - stomach acid used for digestion travels back up the esophagus, the "food pipe" that connects your throat to your stomach.

9 Feb 2012

$Heart burn drugs and hip fractures in postmenopausal women smokers: Study establishes link$

Heart burn drugs and hip fractures in postmenopausal women smokers: Study establishes link

A new study shows that postmenopausal women with a history of smoking who take heartburn drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for two years or longer may be more likely to sustain a hip fracture. The risk rises with longer use say researchers. But the risk does disappear after women stop taking these drugs for two years. Further women who never smoked were not at increased risk for hip fracture even if they took PPIs regularly, the study showed. The new findings appear in the journal BMJ.

2 Feb 2012

Heartburn drugs ineffective in kids with asthma: Study

A drug used to treat acid reflux has often been used for hard-to-treat asthma. A new study finds that it does not help children with the breathing disease and may cause side effects.

24 Jan 2012

Researchers identify critical cellular, molecular events that lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified the critical early cellular and molecular events that give rise to a type of esophageal cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma, the fastest-rising solid tumor in the United States.

18 Jan 2012

Covidien to acquire BÂRRX Medical

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products and a world leader in advanced energy-based devices, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire BÂRRX Medical, Inc. BÂRRX is the leader in treatment of Barrett's esophagus syndrome using bipolar radiofrequency (RF) ablation devices.

21 Nov 2011

New, incision-free surgery to manage chronic acid reflux

Adam Vasser would wake up at night choking on partially digested food and liquid. Stomach acid burned the delicate tissue of his throat. "I'd sleep really badly," he said. During the day, he sometimes suffered from heartburn.

19 Nov 2011