Heart burn or Acid Reflux affects millions of Americans. If severe, the person may go to the physician to obtain a prescription medication. Otherwise, over the counter drugs such as “pepsid’ are widely available.
For the most part, we ignore it. May even laugh about it when we burp, or others belch. This condition is not a laughing matter.
Pills alone may not be sufficient to stop the esophagus from being permanently damaged. The effect of acid reflux is similar to taking hydrochloric acid and pouring it on your hand. The question becomes “how do I know whether my esophagus is OK or not”. The only way of currently knowing is to have a small scope inserted down your throat to your stomach. If anything peculiar or abnormal is noted, a biopsy will be taken.
As years of damage occur, you may develop cancer of the esophagus. Survival rates for esophageal cancer are extremely poor. Sixteen percent may survive past 5 years. This is not a good statistic!
Now a new procedure has been developed which may eliminate this deadly disease. A tube is inserted down your esophagus. When it gets to the lower end of the esophagus, prior to entering the stomach, the distal tube is inflated, and able to burn away atypical cells.
Doctors are cautiously optimistic about this new procedure. It is safer, causes less discomfort to the patient, and is more controllable.
Of course, we won’t know for several years, whether this procedure has any impact on esophageal cancer. It is safe to say, that many physicians believe it will.
Good Morning America, August 16, 2007
del.icio.us
Digg this
