GERD Surgery: Acid Reflux Facts Behind This Treatment

People say that GERD surgery is not a good way of treating acid reflux.  There were claims that medication is still a better way to treat the condition.  One publication was founded through the study conducted on a group of patients with GERD who underwent surgery and the traditional medication.  This research was made known in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  In this regard, let us see the acid reflux facts on this treatment.

Studies made on GERD surgery

The initial research was conducted from 1986 to 1988 in various hospitals.  Individuals with serious cases of GERD were chosen to go through medication or anti-reflux surgical procedure.  After two years of continuous follow ups made on these patients, results showed that surgical procedures done for GERD patients was considered a better way of improving the condition rather than the conventional medication given.  It was found out that surgery had a good result in controlling the signs of GERD.  In fact, there were lesser requirements for medication.  Overall cost was cheaper than oral medication.

On the other hand, recent studies showed that the original patients who were initially studied for the two types of GERD treatment are still continuing to take their usual medication.  Those who underwent surgery are also taking GERD medications.  This goes to show that surgery is not as effective as what the initial study claimed.  This contested the previous study made on GERD surgery thus making it somewhat inefficient in alleviating the signs of GERD, after all.

Advantages of GERD surgery

The advantages presented by patients who underwent acid reflux surgery include:

• Curing of acid reflux.
• No further medications required.
• Some patients also reported that they use lesser medicines and the symptoms of their condition had been alleviated.

Disadvantages of GERD surgery

There were reports that more patients who underwent GERD surgery died because of heart ailment rather than those who were taking oral medicines.  However, this disadvantage must not be totally blamed on GERD surgery because there may be some underlying reasons for the death of the patient.  This disadvantage is not accepted as of the moment.

There is still no conclusive comparison between GERD surgery and medication.  There are various factors to be considered in order to make a final statement to which of these two treatments will be best for the condition.  The best thing to do is to establish the individuals who need GERD surgery and separate them from those who only need oral medication.  In addition, long-term studies should be made before anti-reflux surgery is recommended to individuals with GERD problems.

To make things clearer, you have to scrutinize these treatments properly.  Both GERD surgery and medications have their own advantages and disadvantages.  There is still a need for further studies to make conclusive evidence to what is the best treatment for GERD and to find out what is really the best cure for the condition.  This goes to show that you have to go to your doctors first before putting a stop to the problem.

Tagged as: acid reflux, Acid Reflux Facts, acid reflux surgery, GERD surgery, medications