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10 research, news highlights to mark GERD Awareness Week
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November 22 to 28 marks the 17th annual GERD Awareness Week. The International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, a nonprofit education and research organization, first designated GERD Awareness Week in 1999 to raise awareness of the need for research and understanding of this common condition, according to a press release.
To acknowledge this year’s GERD Awareness Week, here are 10 highlights of news and developments in GERD research recently reported by Healio Gastroenterology.
1. CMS releases payment information for endoscopic fundoplication for GERD
CMS recently released fee schedules for endoscopic fundoplication procedures for the treatment of GERD following the AMA’s decision to create a new Category I Current Procedural Terminology code earlier this year, according to a press release.
“Now that RVU and APC assignments for the new Category 1 CPT code 43210 have been finalized for use, health care providers should have a more effective pathway to appropriately receive reimbursement,” Philip Macdonald, vice president of health care economics, policy and reimbursement for EndoGastric Solutions, said in a press release. Read more
2. Functional dyspepsia under-recognized in practice, often mislabeled GERD
Nicholas J. Talley
Experts recently authored a review article on functional dyspepsia, which highlighted the importance of a physician’s ability to recognize the condition, selective use of diagnostic upper GI endoscopy, and emerging treatments and management strategies.
Functional dyspepsia “is under-recognized in practice, yet proper diagnosis facilitates optimal management,” Nicholas J. Talley, MD, from the faculty of health and medicine at University of Newcastle in Australia, told Healio Gastroenterology. “Many cases are mislabeled GERD,” he said, and also gastroparesis, according to the review. Read more
3. Patient-provider interactions may affect GERD symptoms
Certain aspects of the interactions between patients with GERD and complementary and integrative medicine providers may improve patient symptoms, according to the results of a pilot randomized controlled trial.
“Our findings suggest that the type of patient-provider interaction that occurs in some complementary and integrative provider visits may significantly improve GERD symptoms beyond that of a high-quality, empathic conventional medical visit,” Michelle Dossett, MD, PhD, MPH, of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a press release. Read more
4. VIDEO: Positional therapy device reduces nocturnal acid reflux symptoms in pregnant women
HONOLULU — Adam Kichler, MD, from the Cleveland Clinic, discussed his ACG 2015 poster presentation on a pilot study of a positional therapy device for treating nocturnal acid reflux symptoms in pregnant women.
“We found after 2 weeks there was a 70% reduction in nocturnal acid reflux symptoms, a 65% reduction in overall nocturnal symptom severity, and then a 50% improvement in overall sleep quality [all P < .001],” Kichler said. Watch now
5. Review confirms safety, efficacy, durability of Stretta radiofrequency treatment for GERD
A recent review article critically assessed endoscopic GERD therapies and determined Stretta radiofrequency therapy should be considered a viable treatment option, while newer endoscopic plication and suturing devices and injectable treatments need further study.
They also included transoral incisionless fundoplication in their treatment algorithm as a potential option depending on institutional experience. Read more
6. Judicious PPI use necessary to avoid serious adverse events
A recent review article detailed the potential harms associated with use of proton pump inhibitors, concluding that physicians should follow Health Canada’s recommendations that the drugs “should be prescribed at the lowest dose and shortest duration of therapy appropriate to the condition being treated.”
The authors advise physicians to adhere to the tenets of the Choosing Wisely Canada campaign, which recommends that “new PPI prescriptions ought to be for evidence-based indications, continuous PPI use should be re-evaluated regularly, and patients should be counseled on possible complications when contemplating long-term therapy.” Read more
7. Camber announces launch of generic Nexium delayed-release capsules
In September, Camber Pharmaceuticals announced the launch of esomeprazole magnesium delayed-release capsules, a generic version of AstraZeneca’s Nexium, for the treatment of heartburn, GERD, stomach ulcers and esophageal damage.
The new generic drug is available in 20-mg and 40-mg doses and in 30-, 90- and 1000-count bottles, according to the press release. Read more
8. 5-year study confirms long-term safety, efficacy of LINX procedure for GERD
Magnetic sphincter augmentation with the LINX Reflux Management System was shown to provide safe and sustained control of GERD symptoms at 5 years in a recent study.
“This study demonstrates the LINX procedure provides significant and durable improvement in heartburn, regurgitation, [proton pump inhibitor] independence and quality of life,” Robert Ganz, MD, FASGE, chief of gastroenterology, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and associate professor of medicine, University of Minnesota, said in a press release. Read more
9. Minimally invasive EndoStim safe, effective treatment for GERD patients
Peter D. Siersema
EndoStim’s lower esophageal sphincter electrical stimulation system improved reflux symptoms and reduced esophageal acid exposure in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease who did not respond well to proton pump inhibitors, according to interim results from a prospective, international, multicenter, open-label study.
“Our results show uniformity in outcome across multiple centers as well as consistency with the results reported in a single center study with published results up to 2 years of follow-up,” Peter D. Siersema, MD, PhD, chief of the department of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands, said in a press release. Read more
10. Pregnancy by in vitro fertilization increases women's risk for GERD
Women who conceive a child through in vitro fertilization have increased risk for developing GERD compared with those who conceived naturally, according to recent study data.
“These are very interesting findings and UEG would welcome further research in this area to determine whether these results can be replicated in long-term, prospective studies,” Oliver Pech, MD, PhD, head of gastroenterology and interventional endoscopy at the St. John of God Hospital in Regensburg, Germany, and associate editor of the UEG Journal, said in a press release. Read more