Patients Have Options for GERD Treatment

People who suffer severe gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD are sometimes encouraged to have antireflux surgery. The other common option is long-term medication with a powerful acid-suppressing drug such as Nexium. A large study called called LOTUS compared these two treatments. LOTUS stands for Long Term Usage of Esomeprazole vs. Surgery for Treatment of Chronic GERD. While both treatments worked quite well during the five-year study, patients taking Nexium did slightly better overall. The authors conclude that most patients with serious reflux disease will benefit from either surgery or medication.
[JAMA, May 18, 2011]