Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Abstract

Although esophagitis and GERD symptoms predictably respond to antisecretory medicines, the risk of adenocarcinoma from Barrett metaplasia dictates that if heartburn is refractory to treatment, chronic (>5 years), or accompanied by dysphagia, odynophagia, or bleeding, it should be evaluated by endoscopy. Thereafter, patients with Barrett metaplasia require surveillance endoscopy to control the cancer risk. Reflux-induced asthma remains a vexing problem in the absence of either medical therapy or proven efficacy of a reliable mechanism of prospectively identifying affected patients.