Loading...
Among patients with heartburn, regurgitation, or chest pain attributed to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), as many as 40% don’t respond completely to proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). Some of these patients have ongoing pathologic acid exposure that remains refractory to standard treatment, but others have ongoing symptoms despite resolution of pathologic acid exposure: This clinical entity has been categorized as a functional esophageal disorder of gut–brain interaction (E-DGBIs). Differentiating between proven GERD and E-DGBI is critical before referring patients for irreversible antireflux procedures.
In this study, researchers evaluated 46 patients who had previously proven GERD (by endoscopic findings, ambulatory reflux monit…