The second most common reason adults in the United States go to the emergency department is chest pain, yet more than half of those visits have noncardiac
Tag: Heartburn
Increased Risk of COVID-19 Among Users of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)
Findings from an online survey of more than 53,000 American adults suggest that using heartburn medications known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) once or twice daily significantly increases the odds of a positive test for COVID-19 compared to those who do not take PPIs. This research appeared online July 7, 2020 in pre-print format in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Potential New Heartburn Drug Studied at VUMC
An investigational drug that binds bile acids in the stomach can reduce the severity of heartburn symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) when combined with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), a new study suggests.
Zantac Recalled for Carcinogen Levels Above FDA Standards
The popular heartburn drug ranitidine, commonly known as Zantac, was voluntarily recalled due to the contamination of a human carcinogen that could potentially cause cancer. The recall includes oral tablets, capsules, and syrup.
New Research Could Change Clinical Practice for Cases of Unmanaged Heartburn
A study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine found that in patients seen for heartburn unresponsive to treatment with Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs), an extensive, systematic workup revealed truly PPI-refractory and reflux-related heartburn in only a minority of cases. In other words, most patients with heartburn unrelieved by PPIs did not have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) causing the symptom. Furthermore, for the selected subgroup identified as having reflux-related, PPI-refractory heartburn, surgery that corrects reflux was significantly superior (67% success rate) to continued medical therapy (28% success rate).