Dear Colleagues,
Heartburn has been identified, in numerous high-impact guidelines, as one of the cardinal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Indeed, for practical purposes, heartburn, with or without regurgitation, is considered to be diagnostic of GERD, at least as a basis for initial management.
The prevalence of GERD is increasing worldwide although there are marked differences in the reported prevalence, ranging from 2.5% to 6.6% in Eastern Asia up to 13.8% to 25.8% in North America. The reason for the increasing prevalence of GERD is not entirely clear, but it appears to be correlated with the increasing prevalence of obesity in many countries and, perhaps, to other dietary factors. GERD is associated with a significant impact on health-related quality of life and reduction in personal and work-related productivity; it is, also, associated with a greater risk of Barrett’s esophagus, a pre-malignant condition that may progress to esophageal adenocarcinoma. Fortunately, GERD can, generally, be treated safely and effectively with acid suppression medications whilst surgical anti-reflux therapy is, also, effective. However, the investigation and treatment of GERD can be costly and the management of GERD patients has to be optimized, in many jurisdictions, in the context of the many other pressures on the healthcare system...
Read more from David Armstrong, Chair of WDHD 2015, now
Meet the 2015 Steering Committee here!
WGO encourages all member societies to organize an event to raise awareness about heartburn in their community.View WDHD 2015 Events & Success Stories
Available WGO Global Guidelines!
The following WGO Global Guidelines and Cascades are featured as useful resources for the 2015 World Digestive Health Day Campaign. .
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NEW! Click here to view the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Guideline in English. |
Click here to view the Common GI Symptoms Guideline in English, French, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Spanish. |
This pages features information about WDHD 2015 for both the general public and health care professionals.
NEW! We are pleased to share with you the creation of the WGO Handbook on Heartburn! Featuring nine chapters written by experts around the world, this publication covers articles on various topics including Underlying Mechanisms of Heartburn, Treatment of GERD for Patients, the Pharmacist’s Approach to Heartburn, the Role of Dietary Factors in GERD, and many more! Please note that the "flip-through" version is best viewed using a broadband internet connection.
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| Flip-through version for online viewing » | PDF version to download and print » |
