Heartburn News and Research

RSS

Heartburn, also know as acid reflux, is a painful and burning sensation in the esophagus, just behind the breastbone usually associated with regurgitation of gastric acid (gastric reflux).

Young men have lowest risk of relapse after antireflux surgery, study finds

Surgery for severe heartburn has become less common after the turn of the millennium, due in part to the fear of relapse.

12 Sep 2017

Climbing cost of decades-old drugs threatens to break Medicaid bank

Skyrocketing price tags for new drugs to treat rare diseases have stoked outrage nationwide. But hundreds of old, commonly used drugs cost the Medicaid program billions of extra dollars in 2016 vs. 2015, a Kaiser Health News data analysis shows.

14 Aug 2017

Study reveals link between coffee and low mortality

A study published in the July 11 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that people who drink coffee appear to have a longer life-span.

11 Jul 2017

Commonly prescribed gastric acid drug may increase death risk, study shows

Long-term use of a popular class of drug called proton pump inhibitors (PPIS) has been linked to an increased risk of death in a study published in BMJ Open. The findings add to a growing body of evidence linking the use of PPIs to a range of health problems including kidney damage, bone fracture and dementia.

4 Jul 2017

Longtime use of heartburn drugs linked to increased risk of death

Popular heartburn drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been linked to a variety of health problems, including serious kidney damage, bone fractures and dementia.

4 Jul 2017

Eating soil could be detrimental to health of babies

Up to 80% of people in Africa, especially women, regularly eat clayey soil - this habit is known as geophagy. A previous study conducted at MedUni Vienna has already shown that it is a form of craving.

25 Apr 2017

Health psychologists now treating gastrointestinal disorders strongly affected by stress

Health psychologists have begun treating gastrointestinal disorders that are strongly affected by stress, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, functional heartburn, functional dyspepsia and ulcerative colitis.

25 Mar 2017

Prolonged use of popular heartburn drugs linked to silent, gradual kidney damage

Taking popular heartburn drugs for prolonged periods has been linked to serious kidney problems, including kidney failure.

22 Feb 2017

Weight gain over course of life can increase risk of developing oesophageal and stomach cancers

People who are overweight in their twenties and become obese later in life may be three times more likely to develop cancer of either the oesophagus (food pipe) or upper stomach, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer today (Wednesday).

15 Feb 2017

Study compares postoperative outcomes, costs of laparoscopic and open antireflux surgery for GERD

Patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, known as GERD, who undergo laparoscopic anti-reflux operations compared with traditional "open" operations suffer fewer postoperative complications, experience faster recovery, and incur lower health care costs, according to study results published online as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website, ahead of print publication.

27 Jan 2017

New research finds link between heartburn drugs and increase in risk of infectious gastroenteritis

New research has found a link between popular heartburn drugs and an increase in the risk of infectious gastroenteritis -- an illness that results in 13.1 million lost days of work in Australia a year.

12 Jan 2017

Mothers' use of acid-suppressing medication during pregnancy may be linked to asthma in children

Children born to mothers who take heartburn medication during pregnancy may have a greater risk of developing asthma, research suggests.

9 Jan 2017

Common heartburn medications could decrease effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients

Something as seemingly harmless as a heartburn pill could lead cancer patients to take a turn for the worse.

16 Dec 2016

Drugs used to treat acid reflux and ulcers may increase risk of developing kidney stones and CKD

Certain medications commonly used to treat heartburn, acid reflux, and ulcers can have damaging effects on the kidneys.

18 Nov 2016

'Sponge on a string' test could spare people with Barrett's oesophagus from endoscopies

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have discovered that a 'sponge on a string' pill test can identify which people with a condition called Barrett's oesophagus have a low risk of developing oesophageal cancer - sparing them uncomfortable endoscopies.

11 Nov 2016

Certain medications can have important effect on success of dental implants, research shows

Each year, about 500,000 North Americans get dental implants. If you are one of them, and are preparing to have an implant, it might be a good idea to start taking beta blockers, medication that controls high blood pressure, for a while. And to stop taking heartburn pills.

26 Oct 2016

CPAP therapy may help improve nighttime acid reflux symptoms in patients with OSA

A new study suggests that CPAP therapy may help improve the symptoms of nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

3 Oct 2016

Chronic cough different than cough from cold, says allergist

There's been a lot of talk about politicians and coughs lately. And we've all seen public figures struggle with it.

13 Sep 2016

New study uses evolutionary theory to predict cancer risk in patients with Barrett's esophagus

A disorder known as Barrett's esophagus (BE) affects some 200,000 Americans each year. The condition, which is caused by stomach acid damaging the lining of the esophagus, can lead to the development of a serious, potentially fatal cancer of epithelial tissue, known as esophageal adenocarcinoma.

25 Aug 2016

Testing lesions in food pipe could provide early and accurate diagnosis of oesophageal cancer

Genetically analysing lesions in the food pipe could provide an early and accurate test for oesophageal cancer, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London, Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam and Arizona State University.

19 Aug 2016