Chronic Heartburn Is Often No Great Risk Of Esophageal Cancer

Chronic Heartburn Is Often No Great Risk Of Esophageal Cancer.
Contrary to accepted belief, acid reflux disease, better known as heartburn, is not much of a imperil particular for esophageal cancer for most people, according to new research. "It's a rare cancer," said writing-room author Dr Joel H Rubenstein, an assistant professor in the University of Michigan control of internal medicine. "About 1 in 4 people have symptoms of GERD acid reflux infection and that's a lot of people. But 25 percent of people aren't prevalent to get this cancer. No way".

GERD is characterized by the frequent rise of stomach acid into the esophagus. Rubenstein said he was uneasy that as medical technology advances, enthusiasm for screening for esophageal cancer will increase, though there is no attest that widespread screening has a benefit. About 8000 cases of esophageal cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year.

The muse about was published this month in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. Using computer models based on information from a national cancer registry and other published research about acid reflux disease, the scrutiny found only 5920 cases of esophageal cancer among whites younger than 80 years old, with or without acid reflux disease, in the US folk in 2005.

However, waxen men over 60 years old with regular acid reflux symptoms accounted for 36 percent of these cases. Women accounted for only 12 percent of the cases, nevertheless of age and whether or not they had acid reflux disease. People with no acid reflux symptoms accounted for 34 percent of the cases, the authors said. Men under 60 accounted for 33 percent of the cases.

For women, the endanger for the cancer was negligible, about the same as that of men for developing core cancer, or less than 1 percent, the researchers said. Yet the stupendous manhood of gastroenterologists surveyed said they would recommend screening for young men with acid reflux symptoms, and many would electrify women for the testing as well, according to research cited in the study.