title: Review: treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in the elderly.
abstract: The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) increases with age; older patients are more likely to develop severe disease. Common symptoms of GERD in the elderly include dysphagia, vomiting, and respiratory problems. Older patients are more likely to require aggressive therapy, and usually their management is compounded by the presence of comorbidities and consumption of various medications. Proton pump inhibitors are the mainstay of GERD treatment in the elderly because of their profound and consistent acid suppressive effect. Overall, proton pump inhibitors seem to be safe for both short- and long-term therapy in elderly patients with GERD. Antireflux surgery may be safe and effective in a subset of elderly patients with GERD.
authors.affiliation: The Neuroenteric Clinical Research Group, Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, Tucson, AZ 85723-0001, USA.
authors.forename: Choo Hean
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Poh
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Navarro-Rodriguez
authors.forename: Ronnie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fass
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000863:Antacids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal / Q000379:methods*; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D015995:Prevalence; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012074:Remission Induction / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000863:Antacids; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D006635:Histamine H2 Antagonists; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors