Review Article
Current Trends in the Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Review
Table 2
Potential advantages and disadvantages of medical therapy and antireflux surgery in the management of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease [
104].
| Medical | |
| Advantages | | (i) Noninvasive | | (ii) Simple and easy to use | | (iii) Reproducible effect | | (iv) Very effective on symptoms and lesions of GERD | | (v) Excellent tolerance and safety profile of PPI | | (vi) Relatively cheap especially since the development of PPI generics | | Disadvantages | | (i) Does not correct underlying pathophysiological mechanisms | | (ii) Continuous maintenance therapy frequently required to control the disease | | (iii) Persistence of symptoms in at least 10% of patients | | (iv) Rare side effects and potential drug-drug interactions | |
| Surgery | |
| Advantages | | (i) The only treatment capable of physically controlling reflux | | (ii) Very effective (improved quality of heartburn control, reduction of regurgitation, better sleep pattern, increased activities and exercise, etc.) | | (iii) Avoids the need to take medication | | (iv) Psychological effects of not having chronic disease | | (v) Particular clinical groups of cystic fibrosis, lung transplant, and congenital hernia | | Disadvantages | | (i) Invasive | | (ii) Small risk of mortality | | (iii) Measurable postoperative mortality | | (iv) Recurrence is possible | |
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