Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is arguably the most common disease encountered by the gastroenterologist. It is equally likely that the primary care providers will find that complaints related to reflux disease constitute a large proportion of their practice. The following guideline provides an overview of GERD and its presentation, and recommendations for the approach to diagnosis and management of this common and important disease. The guideline will review the presentations of any risk factors for GERD, the diagnostic modalities and their recommendation for use and recommendations for medical, surgical and endoscopic management including comparative effectiveness of different treatments. Extraesophageal symptoms and complications will be addressed as will the evaluation and management of “refractory” GERD. The document will conclude with the potential risks and side effects of the main treatments for GERD and their implications for patient management. This EvidenceCare Protocol is based on the American College of Gastroenterology 2013 publication “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease”.