Word: gerdes
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...GERD THYSELF An upset stomach may not be the only thing to worry about when taking aspirin or ibuprofen. The so-called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories may be linked to a severe form of heartburn called gastroesophageal-reflux disorder, or GERD. Researchers found that the chances of getting GERD doubled among 12,500 Medicaid patients who took the painkillers routinely. Before starting a regimen of aspirin or the like, check with your doctor...
Most of us call the resulting pain heartburn (though it has nothing to do with the heart). If you get it often, it's called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Along with an estimated 15 million Americans, that's what I've had for nearly 30 years. No big deal, though--or so I thought until I read a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine a couple of weeks ago. Turns out that this repeated acid bath can alter esophageal cells, creating a condition known as Barrett's esophagus. Once that happens, the cells can become precancerous, then...
...found myself last week in the examining room of Dr. Robert Meirowitz. Like many of his fellow gastroenterologists, Meirowitz has seen an upswing in patients since the journal article came out. Fortunately, he explains, GERD is usually not serious. Only about 5% of sufferers get Barrett's esophagus, and only 5% of those go on to develop cancer. However, as Dr. Joel Richter, head of gastroenterology at the Cleveland Clinic, points out, "The only way to be sure you don't have these conditions is to have an endoscopy...
Nobody knows exactly how many people have GERD. But the latest surveys suggest that at least 15 million Americans experience heartburn, its principal symptom, on a daily basis. And things are only getting worse. "The number of Americans reporting frequent heartburn has grown 10% in the past two years," says Dr. Andrew Dannenberg, chairman of a national heartburn advisory panel and an associate professor at Cornell University Medical College in New York City. Some of that is due to aging. But a lot is caused by such habits as late-night snacking, high-fat eating and a related propensity...
Fortunately, GERD has a cure. For years doctors tried to minimize the problem with antacids. Then they turned to drugs like Tagamet and Pepcid to block a biochemical signal that sets off acid production. Neither of these remedies, now available over the counter, can turn off the stomach's acid-making machinery at the source, however. That's where a new group of prescription medications, called proton pump inhibitors, comes in. "You don't just get better on these pills," Dannenberg exults, "you actually return to normal." And because the drugs are activated only in the acid environment...