Recent advances in basic science

Visceral hypersensitivity in non-erosive reflux disease

C H Knowles¹, Q Aziz²

¹ Neurogastroenterology Group, Centres for Academic Surgery, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Science, Barts and the London, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, Whitechapel, London, UK
² Centres for Gastroenterology, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Science, Barts and the London, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry, Whitechapel, London, UK

Mr Charles H Knowles, Barts and the London NHS Trust and the Homerton University NHS Foundation Trust, Centre for Academic Surgery, 3rd Floor Alexandra Wing, Royal London Hospital, London E1 1BB, UK; c.h.knowles@qmul.ac.uk

Revised version received 7 November 2007

Accepted 3 December 2007

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) is defined as the presence of classic symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) in the absence of oesophageal mucosal injury (or Barrett’s oesophagus) as determined by inspection at upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.¹ As such it is regarded as being one of the two main phenotypes of GORD, the other being erosive oesophagitis (EO) where ulceration or erosions are evident. GORD is common, with estimates of 20–44% of Western populations having symptoms of GORD at least once a month and 20% weekly.² The proportion of such patients with NERD is estimated to be between 50³ and 70%.⁴ It is acknowledged that responses to standard acid suppressive treatments are 20–30% lower in patients with NERD than those with EO.⁵ Considering this, and the high prevalence of NERD, which is likely to increase in parallel with societal body mass index,⁶ the pathophysiological understanding of this condition remains a priority.

The . . . [Full text of this article]

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