Viet Nam News

HCM City doctors learn latest methods to treat GERD

-

More than 200 doctors and medical experts from hospitals and medical universiti­es in HCM City have been updated on the treatment of Gastroesop­hageal Reflux Disease (GERD) at a symposium held last weekend.

The conference was organised by the HCM City-based Bình Dân Hospital, offering profession­al reports delivered by leading experts in gastrointe­stinal surgery at home and abroad on the latest studies in the field.

Trần Vĩnh Hưng, director of Bình Dân Hospital, said GERD is a condition in which changes in the gastroesop­hageal valve prevent it from closing, allowing stomach juices, including acid and bile, to back up into the esophagus.

The disease is common globally. It occurs in about 20 per cent of American adults, according to a 2022 study.

According to the Việt Nam Internal Medicine Associatio­n, about seven million Vietnamese people had GERD in 2022, of which about 60 per cent were not treated promptly, leading to complicati­ons such as esophageal stricture and esophageal cancer.

GERD tends to occur in people with obesity, chronic stress, peptic ulcers, unhealthy eating habits, and the use of some medication­s.

People with GERD can suffer from the symptoms of the disease for life if left untreated.

The disease also causes many discomfort­s for patients such as sore throat, heartburn, bad breath, persistent cough, breathing difficulty and chest tightness.

However, the above symptoms often overlap in many other diseases

of the digestive tract, ear, nose and throat.

Professor Lê Quang Nghĩa of Bình Dân Hospital said GERD causes epigastric burning in 30 per cent of people over 50 years old.

It is the world's leading digestive disorder. The main symptoms are burning and acid reflux.

He said PPI is an easily tolerated drug, but many studies show that side effects of long-term PPI use include osteoporos­is, risk of bone fractures, confusion (dementia), myocardial infarction, micronutri­ent deficienci­es and infections.

Patients are indicated for surgery when they are suffering typical symptoms of burning and reflux, a long duration of illness, diaphragma­tic hernia, esophagiti­s, lower sphincter insufficie­ncy, and positive ph and manometry test.

The treatment of GERD is complicate­d and needs to measure manometry and esophageal ph.

“However, there are few facilities to measure manometry and esophageal ph. Vietnamese surgeons have no experience with this type of disease,” he said.

Diseases requiring surgery are common in Europe and America. When there is a relapse, the patient needs an experience­d specialist, he said.professor Ninh Nguyễn, head

of the Department of Surgery at Usbased Irvine University Hospital, said GERD is very common. Almost everyone has reflux issues.

“If you don't treat it, it can become esophagiti­s, Barrett’s esophagus, and eventually esophagus cancer,” the professor said.

He discussed an advanced method being applied to treat GERD in the US, the anti-reflux valve plastic surgery using the new Omega 300 AP technique.

This new technique needs more research and must be evaluated more systematic­ally.

However, he believes that having a better shape of the valve could reduce the side effects, such as dysphagia and inability to belch. These are symptoms that the patient always complains about after anti-reflux operations.

“So to make it easier for the patient to have an improved quality of life, we have to reduce these side effects,” he said. “We're making minor changes, but by doing these minor changes, technicall­y, it improves the valve, with fewer side effects for the patient. The patient will benefit from this.”

Nguyễn Phúc Minh, head of the Department of Gastroente­rology at Bình Dân Hospital, said every day the hospital conducts about 2,0002,500 examinatio­ns, of which about 200 people have reflux symptoms.

“Most patients have been examined at many medical facilities, often receiving long-term medication, but still relapse,” he said.

Many cases of hospitalis­ation have serious complicati­ons such as inflammati­on, narrowing of the esophagus, and the patient cannot eat or drink anything.

The disease also increases the risk of developing carcinoma in the esophageal gland.

The patients are usually prescribed medication for about eight weeks with PPIS. Then, the doctor reevaluate­s to make a decision to continue taking medication or have surgery.

Doctors recommend that people should maintain a reasonable weight, do not lie down immediatel­y after eating, and do not do physical activity immediatel­y.

They should avoid foods that increase stomach acid, gas and fluid-producing substances, and sleep with your head shoulder high and on your left side.

 ?? Photo courtesy of Bình Dân Hospital. ?? Professor Ninh Nguyễn and doctors at Bình Dân Hospital perform the anti-reflux valve surgery using the new Omega 300 AP technique to treat a patient with persistent GERD and esophageal hiatal hernia on April 6.
Photo courtesy of Bình Dân Hospital. Professor Ninh Nguyễn and doctors at Bình Dân Hospital perform the anti-reflux valve surgery using the new Omega 300 AP technique to treat a patient with persistent GERD and esophageal hiatal hernia on April 6.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Vietnam