title: The evaluation and treatment of adults with gastroesophageal reflux disease.
abstract: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is defined as symptoms or tissue damage that results from the abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. A systematic review of population-based studies estimates that heartburn or regurgitation symptoms occur in 21% to 59% of the population during a given year. The frequency of GERD in specific populations is provided in Table 1. Although only 1 in 5 patients with upper intestinal symptoms that occur at least weekly seeks medical attention, nearly 1% of all visits to a family physician's office are for GERD or related conditions. GERD significantly affects the quality of patients' lives. In a survey of patients presenting for upper endoscopy with symptoms of at least 3 months' duration, those with a diagnosis of GERD reported low scores at baseline for general well-being. Fortunately, follow-up data reported 4 weeks after treatment note improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms, general well-being, general health, vitality, and depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA. flynnc@upstate.edu
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Flynn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004724:Endoscopy; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D011379:Prognosis; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors