The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 123, Issue 6 , Pages 496-501, June 2010

Review: Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in the Elderly

The Neuroenteric Clinical Research Group, Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Southern Arizona VA Health Care System, Tucson; University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson

Abstract 

The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) increases with age; older patients are more likely to develop severe disease. Common symptoms of GERD in the elderly include dysphagia, vomiting, and respiratory problems. Older patients are more likely to require aggressive therapy, and usually their management is compounded by the presence of comorbidities and consumption of various medications. Proton pump inhibitors are the mainstay of GERD treatment in the elderly because of their profound and consistent acid suppressive effect. Overall, proton pump inhibitors seem to be safe for both short- and long-term therapy in elderly patients with GERD. Antireflux surgery may be safe and effective in a subset of elderly patients with GERD.

Keywords: Aging, Gastroesophageal disease, Proton pump inhibitors

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 Funding: There was no outside funding for this manuscript.

 Conflict of Interest: None of the authors has any conflict of interest relevant to this manuscript.

 Authorship: All authors had access to the data and participated in writing this manuscript.

PII: S0002-9343(10)00005-7

doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.07.036

The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 123, Issue 6 , Pages 496-501, June 2010

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