AIM A subset of functional dyspepsia patients respond to acid suppressive therapy, but the prevalence of non-erosive reflux disease in functional dyspepsia and its relevance to symptoms have never been established. The aim of the present study was to study 24 hour pH monitoring in consecutive functional dyspepsia patients. METHODS A total of 247 patients with dyspeptic symptoms (166 women, me...

Aim: A subset of functional dyspepsia patients respond to acid suppressive therapy, but the prevalence of non-erosive reflux disease in functional dyspepsia and its relevance to symptoms have never been established. The aim of the present study was to study 24 hour pH monitoring in consecutive functional dyspepsia patients. Methods: A total of 247 patients with dyspeptic symptoms (166 women, me...

Objectives To investigate the effects of Helicobacter pylori infection and its eradication on heartburn and gastro-oesophageal reflux. Design Cross sectional study, followed by a randomised placebo controlled trial. Setting Seven general practices in Bristol, England. Participants 10 537 people, aged 20-59 years, with and without H pylori infection (determined by the C-urea breath test). Main o...

BACKGROUND There are few data on empiric, stepped therapy for heartburn relief or subsequent relapse in primary care. AIMS To compare heartburn relief produced by a proton pump inhibitor-start or an H(2)-receptor antagonist-start with step-up therapy, as needed, followed by a treatment-free period to assess relapse. METHODS Heartburn-dominant uninvestigated dyspepsia patients from 46 primar...

BACKGROUND Folklore can originate by detection of actual associations between seemingly unrelated events and perpetuated through oral tradition. The objective of this study was to determine whether a common pregnancy belief that women who experience a lot of heartburn give birth to newborns with a lot of hair is accurate. METHODS Sixty-four pregnant women ranked the severity of their degree o...