• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 2015

Objectives : This study is to report the effects of SokPyeonAnGel (SPAG) on patients with reflux esophagitis. Methods : Four patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, who had suffered from different symptoms, were diagnosed with reflux esophagitis by gastroscopy. SPAG was orally administered 30 minutes after each meal, 3 times a day. Analysis of the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GerdQ) for GERD symptoms and quality of life was performed before and 1~3 weeks after SPAG treatment. Results and Conclusions : The rating scores decreased by 1~4 points after treatment. In particular, there was a 2-point decrease in “How often did you take additional medication for your heartburn and/or regurgitation?” except for one patient who hadn't taken additional medication. This suggests that SPAG could be used to treat symptoms of reflux esophagitis.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.sup1
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• pp.55-71
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• 2008

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) defined as passage of gastric contents into the esophagus without symptoms is a common physiologic gastrointestinal problem in infants, children and even in adults. But gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) defined as symptoms or complications of GER is a disease entity to find out the reason and treat. After the era of 1970 we have been studying about GERD with the development of diagnostic and therapeutic methods. I already introduced the nature and the fundamental knowledge of GERD in the opening symposium of KSPGHAN in 1998. Now, I will introduce the guidelines for evaluation and treatment of GERD which was recommended by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition and American Pediatric Association which was published in 2001. And I will introduce progressing subjects and the forecoming issues to be solved in near future. Those are as followings. Does GERD cause otolaryngologic symptoms such as chronic sinusitis and chronic otitis? Is GERD inherited? Can we find out the child who will become GERD in adult life and the way to reduce the incidence of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal cancer? Is long term PPI therapy safe in children?

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.313-327
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• 2018

The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is increasing in Korea, and physicians, including surgeons, have been focusing on its treatment. Indeed, in Korea, medical treatment using a proton pump inhibitor is the mainstream treatment for GERD, while awareness of surgical treatment is limited. Accordingly, to promote the understanding of surgical treatment for GERD, the Korean Anti-Reflux Surgery Study Group published the Evidence-Based Practice Guideline for the Surgical Treatment of GERD. The guideline consists of 2 sections: fundamental information such as the definition, symptoms, and diagnostic tools of GERD and a recommendation statement about its surgical treatment. The recommendations presented 5 debates regarding fundoplication: 1) comparison of the effectiveness of medical and surgical treatments, 2) effectiveness of surgical treatment in cases of refractory GERD, 3) effectiveness of surgical treatment of extraesophageal symptoms, 4) comparison of effectiveness between total and partial fundoplication, and 5) effectiveness of fundoplication in cases of hiatal hernia. The present guideline is the first to demonstrate the efficacy of the surgical treatment GERD in Korea.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.90-108
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• 2016

Objectives: This study aimed to learn what should be considered in the Guidelines of Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) by analyzing the existing guidelines and clinical trials.Methods: The development committee searched the existing guidelines for herbal medicinal products or GERD. Then, clinical trials related to GERD using herbal medicine were selected. The chosen trials were analyzed in terms of their inclusion and exclusion of participants, intervention, comparators, outcome, and trial design. Then, we compared the results of the analysis according to the regulations and guidelines of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to suggest the issues that we will have to consider when developing the Guidelines of Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).Results: As a result, few guidelines for GERD and clinical trials with herbal medicinal products were located in the national institution homepage. In addition, 8 articles were found using the following combination of search terms: “Gastroesophageal reflux disease”, “GERD”, “herbal medicine”, “herbal therapy”, “Korean Medicine”, “Traditional Chinese Medicine”, and “TCM”. Even though all trials had their own unique research questions, all studies were performed using a randomization method. Most trials included participants with reflux esophagitis, but two trials targeted proton pump inhibitor-refractory GERD. The type of intervention varied, such as decoction, granules, and capsules. Additionally, individualized herbal medicines were used in two studies. Comparators were diverse, such as placebo, Western medicine, and electro-acupuncture. The most frequently used outcome for efficacy was the effectiveness rate. In addition, the outcome for evaluating quality of life, esophageal mucosa and pressure, esophageal acid reflux, and recurrence rates were used. Safety was investigated by recording adverse events and carrying out laboratory tests.Conclusions: We identified some issues by reviewing the existing guidelines and comparing them with clinical trials for GERD and herbal medicinal products. These results will be utilized for developing the Guidelines of Clinical Trials with Herbal Medicinal Products for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.97-104
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• 2010

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disorder caused by the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. According to the recent classification, GERD can elicit esophageal and extraesophageal syndromes. Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is defined as laryngeal symptoms with laryngeal inflammation caused by the acid reflux. The prevalence of GERD and LPR is increasing during the past decades in Korea and management of GERD and LPR is a challenging issue in clinical practice. Proton pump inhibitor is the most effective drug in the treatment of GERD. Most patients with LPR are given a 2-month trial of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), however, there is still little evidence on the diagnosis or the treatment of LPR. During the last years concern have been raised regarding the risk of averse events related to long-term use of PPI. We review the recent update on medical treatment of GERD/LPR.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.105-108
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• 2010

The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) has been increased recently in Korea. Most patients who have GERD are well treated by medication. But patients who have suboptimal disease control under medical therapy are needed further treatment. Nowadays minimally invasive surgery using laparoscopy and thoracoscopy has become popular in the operation of GERD although antireflux surgery is vary. Antireflux surgery is a well-documented, effective therapeutic alternative to control GERD.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.122-152
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was designed to develop a standard tool for pattern identification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients. Methods: Korean and Chinese literature was selected that mentioned pattern identification of GERD. We gathered the pattern identification and their symptoms and a Chinese medical doctor proficient in Korean translated the Chinese characters into Korean. A Korean linguist then confirmed the translation results to develop a draft of the standard tool for pattern identification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (PIGERD). The final PIGERD was developed after assessment by an expert committee composed of professors from the Korean Medicine University, using the following items: inclusion of the pattern identification and its symptoms, importance of items, and validity of translation. Results: Six pattern identifications and 94 symptoms were selected from 45 references and translated into Korean. Four pattern identifications [pattern/syndrome of liver qi invading the stomach (肝胃不和), spleen-stomach weakness (脾胃虛弱), spleen-stomach dampness-heat (脾胃濕熱), and stomach yin deficiency (胃陰不足)] and 49 symptoms were then selected through the Delphi method by the expert committee. The final standard PIGERD tool was completed after the assessment of translation validity and reflection of individual opinions by the expert committee. This tool consists of 40 items including tongue and pulse diagnosis. The weighted value was also computed from assessment of the importance of items. Conclusions: We developed a standard tool for pattern identification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (PIGERD) to clarify the pattern identification of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease for standardized diagnosis.

• Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.584-592
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• 2018

Background/Aims There is uncertainty about how to measure outcomes reported by patients in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This study was conducted to develop an instrument and to determine of the definition of respondent for a patient reported outcomes to assess the efficacy of a treatment used for GERD treatment. Methods A structural process has developed a self-evaluation questionnaire for GERD (SEQ-GERD); health-related quality of life questionnaire for GERD (GERD-QOL) was translated through cross-cultural validation. Two-week reproducibility was evaluated and construct validity was assessed by correlating the SEQ-GERD with the Patient Assessment of Gastrointestinal Disorders (PAGI-SYM), the reflux disease questionnaire (RDQ), and GERD-QOL. Changes in SEQ-GERD scores were compared to assess the discriminative validity following 4 weeks of proton pump inhibitor administration. Results A total of 83 Korean patients were included (mean age $46{\pm}14$ years, females 61.4%). The internal consistency of the 19-item SEQ-GERD was good (alpha = 0.60-0.94) and the test-retest reliability was high (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.67-0.95). The SEQ-GERD highly correlated with the GERD domain of the PAGI-SYM (correlation coefficient r = 0.894, P < 0.001), the RDQ-GERD (r = 0.877, P < 0.001), and GERD-QOL (r = -0.536, P < 0.05). SEQ-GERD scores significantly varied according to the overall treatment effectiveness scale of drug responsiveness and significantly decreased after drug treatment (mean differences according to the overall treatment effectiveness scale, P = 0.020). Conclusion This study supports that SEQ-GERD is reliable and valid, and can be used to evaluate the treatment response in patients with GERD.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.173-180
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• 2023

Purpose: Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a burdensome disease affecting many children. A clinical examination is reported to be unreliable to diagnose GERD in children. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the Pediatric Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptom and Quality of Life Questionnaire (PGSQ) and endoscopic and histopathological findings in children with symptoms suggesting GERD. Changes in the PGSQ score in children with esophagitis as response to one month therapy were recorded as secondary outcome. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study in the pediatric outpatient clinic in an Indonesian tertiary hospital. Children aged 2-17 years old with clinical symptoms suspected of GERD are included in the study. Blinded endoscopic and histopathological examination was performed in all patients before one month proton pump inhibitors (PPI) therapy. The PGSQ information was collected at inclusion and after one month PPI treatment. Results: Fifty-eight subjects were included. Esophagitis was found in 60.9% of subjects according to endoscopy and 58.6% according to histology. There was no significant relationship between the PGSQ score and endoscopic (p=0.781) nor biopsy (p=0.740) examinations. The PGSQ showed a low diagnostic value compared to endoscopy and biopsy (area under the curve [AUC] 0.477, p=0.477, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.326-0.629 and AUC 0.474, p=0.740 (95% CI 0.321-0.627 respectively). The PGSQ improved significantly post one month of PPI treatment. Conclusion: The PGSQ cannot be used to diagnose esophagitis in children with clinical symptoms suggesting GERD. However, the PGSQ can be used to monitor the treatment response in children with esophagitis.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.681-692
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• 2023

In general, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is diagnosed clinically based on typical symptoms and/or response to proton pump inhibitor treatment. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is reserved for patients presenting with alarm symptoms, such as dysphagia, odynophagia, significant weight loss, gastrointestinal bleeding, or anorexia; those who meet the criteria for Barrett's esophagus screening; those who report a lack or partial response to proton pump inhibitor treatment; and those with prior endoscopic or surgical anti-reflux interventions. Newer endoscopic techniques are primarily used to increase diagnostic yield and provide an alternative to medical or surgical treatment for GERD. The available endoscopic modalities for the diagnosis of GERD include conventional endoscopy with white-light imaging, high-resolution and high-magnification endoscopy, chromoendoscopy, image-enhanced endoscopy (narrow-band imaging, I- SCAN, flexible spectral imaging color enhancement, blue laser imaging, and linked color imaging), and confocal laser endomicroscopy. Endoscopic techniques for treating GERD include esophageal radiofrequency energy delivery/Stretta procedure, transoral incisionless fundoplication, and endoscopic full-thickness plication. Other novel techniques include anti-reflux mucosectomy, peroral endoscopic cardiac constriction, endoscopic submucosal dissection, and endoscopic band ligation. Currently, many of the new endoscopic techniques are not widely available, and their use is limited to centers of excellence.