Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0017168 (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
 11,783 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In the past decade, the results of many studies on gastrointestinal motility and perception have been published that may be relevant to the clinician. A new classification of oesophageal motor disorders has been proposed in which "ineffective oesophageal motility" largely replaces the former "non-specific oesophageal motor disorders". Recent studies have shown that the incidence of transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxations can be reduced pharmacologically, and this may open doors to a new therapeutic approach in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. The mechanisms through which hiatus hernia promotes reflux have become clearer. The recently developed technique of intraluminal impedance monitoring has made it possible to study oesophageal transit, non-acid reflux and its role in the generation of reflux symptoms, as well as the characteristics of belching. Measurement of gastric emptying by means of a non-radioactive isotope and breath-testing has become widely available but, unfortunately, this development has not yet been accompanied by the advent of new therapeutic options for gastroparesis. The term "enteric dysmotility" has been coined for the condition in which upper abdominal symptoms are associated with distinct small intestinal bowel motility disorders in the absence of ileus-like episodes. The role of high-amplitude propagated contractions in the pathogenesis of constipation has been further defined. In cases of suspected sphincter of Oddi dysfunction, manometry of both sphincters (IBD and pancreatic) is now felt to be advisable.
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PMID:Recent developments in gastrointestinal motility. 1678 19

This letter comments on the recent lecture by Dr. Stephen W. Bickler. He reported that many serious diseases that haunt our society are rare or unknown in the underdeveloped world. These include appendicitis, IBD, diverticulosis, colorectal cancer, GERD and others. For example, the rate of appendicitis in Gambian children is one-thirtieth the rate of Caucasian children living in the USA. Colon cancer is nearly 15 times as common in black Americans as in Africans. There is a wealth of evidence linking these disparities to a lifestyle factor that was not mentioned by Dr. Bickler: the unnatural method of defecation used in our society. Like all primates, humans were designed to squat for bodily functions. The sitting position sabotages the natural biomechanics of defecation and forces one to use the Valsalva maneuver. How does this increase the risk of appendicitis? The cecum, instead of being squeezed empty by the right thigh when squatting, is actually inflated by the Valsalva maneuver. The increased pressure can push fecal matter into the appendiceal orifice. The back-pressure can also overwhelm the ileocecal valve, contaminating the small intestine. Crohn's Disease develops in the terminal ileum - the area soiled by this toxic backwash.
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PMID:Preventing diseases of civilization. 2973 Nov 48