News briefs from the Journal CHEST, November 2004
...but many do not experience the typical symptoms of heartburn and/or regurgitation, a new study shows. Researchers from Tampere University Hospital in Finland looked at 90 asthmatic patients and identified 32 patients (36%) with GERD, of which 8 patients (25%) did not experience classic reflux symptoms. The st...FDA buys technology that identifies drug toxicity to heart
...otics, weight loss and anti-psychotic medications, heartburn medications, and some cancer and heart disease therapies. (See www.QTdrugs.org for a partial listing.) Therefore, the goal among those who are developing and testing new treatments is to identify the cardiovascular risks to patients at the earliest p...Studies link obesity to increased frequency of heartburn symptoms; greater risk of esophageal cancer
ORLANDO (November 1, 2004)--Symptoms of heartburn and GERD are highly prevalent among obese patients...th data from asymptomatic volunteers. Overall, heartburn and or acid regurgitation were found among 75 percent of the morbidly obese patients, while 23 perce...Seniors reduce or discontinue medications when faced with gap in drug coverage, UCLA study shows
...ty of Hawaii "Do we really want to use it up on a heartburn or allergy medication? We can also help by thinking twice when writing a prescription. We need to offer patients more choices if there's a less expensive drug that might also be just as good." This will require a new way of thinking by physicians,....Prudent-layperson laws help get insurance coverage for emergency room visits
... coverage because the pain turned out to come from heartburn rather than a heart attack. "Following these laws, such practices appear to have been vastly reduced or to have virtually disappeared," Hall said. "Prudent-layperson laws have helped to catalyze industry-wide changes in how health insurers review em...Study shows how well heartburn sufferers follow directions for over-the-counter Prilosec OTC
...astroenterology and Hepatology shows that frequent heartburn sufferers are able to follow and comply with the d... physician visits, this study showed that frequent heartburn sufferers actually increased consultation with their physicians." "The study shows that consumers ca...For those who take painkillers regularly, a heartburn pill a day may keep ulcers away
...ndomized, placebo-controlled study, a prescription heartburn drug called esomeprazole effectively prevented ulcers among 573 long-term painkiller users. And, it produced few side effects. "This is a very encouraging result, especially since the participants represented the 'real world' population that faces th...Pharmacokinetic data presented at ICAAC on investigational HIV protease inhibitor 433908 (908)
...ractions of 908 with medications commonly used for heartburn and lipid disorders. Results from the first study...to take antacids or other medications to alleviate heartburn or other gastrointestinal problems: therefore, it is important to assess whether a new drug interact...Costs for surgical treatment of GERD not offset by savings on medications
.... More than 15 million Americans experience daily heartburn symptoms and may suffer from GERD. "To assess the economic implications of medical versus surgical management of GERD, we analyzed medical costs for patients one year before and 18 months after surgery," said the study's lead author Erin M. Sullivan,...GERD and other GI disorders may disrupt sleep
.... More than 15 million Americans experience daily heartburn symptoms and may suffer from GERD. Excessive Da...ndividuals. All the GERD patients reported having heartburn at least four days per week and having woken up with heartburn at least one night a week. The parti...Gastric bypass surgery for obesity may ease symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease
...a significant decrease in GERD symptoms, including heartburn (from 87 percent to 22 percent), wheezing (from 40 percent to 5 percent), and laryngitis (17 percent to 7 percent) among others. Medication use also decreased significantly both for proton pump inhibitors (from 44 percent to 9 percent) and for histam...Heartburn surgery helps lung transplant patients
...nd that a surgical procedure used to treat chronic heartburn appears to not only improve the functioning of transplanted lungs, but also has a positive effect on an untreatable form of chronic rejection in lung transplant recipients. The procedure, known as fundoplication, creates a super-competent sphincter ...Longer lasting pack for long-lasting heartburn relief
...s to quick, effective and long-lasting relief from heartburn now even more convenient. Although the Zantac 75...the estimated 6.4 million British adults1 for whom heartburn is a recurring problem. Frequent trips to the pharmacy are not easy to fit in to the demanding lifes...Study offers hope for chocolate-loving reflux disease sufferers
...e digestive tract of those who suffer with chronic heartburn - also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD - but also suggests a novel treatment. "We demonstrated that chocolate induces GERD symptoms by compromising the ability of the lower esophageal sphincter to prevent the stomach acids from cree...Combination Therapy Improves Chances Of Surviving Esophageal Cancer
...ageal cancer and a recent study found that chronic heartburn also raisesthe risk substantially. The new study, which involved many institutions, was under the directionof the National Cancer Institute. It followed a group of 129 patients who wereoriginally treated between 1985 and 1990 with a combinatio...