Alimentary TractUnbuffered highly acidic gastric juice exists at the gastroesophageal junction after a meal☆
Section snippets
Studies of the relationship of esophageal refluxate pH to intragastric pH under fasting conditions and after a meal
Dual gastric and esophageal 24-hour pH recordings of 28 dyspeptic patients were analyzed retrospectively. These patients all had negative results of tests for Helicobacter pylori and normal findings on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Their mean age was 45 (range, 22–68) years; 12 were men and 16 women. Esophageal pH monitoring revealed a mean total percent of time with pH < 4 of 5.7%, with half the group having abnormal esophageal acid exposure. Another 12 patients were recruited
Relationship of esophageal refluxate pH to intragastric pH under fasting conditions and after a meal
The results of the retrospective and prospective studies were similar and are therefore presented together. (The results can be identified separately in Figure 1.)
Discussion
Gastroesophageal reflux is probably the most common chronic gastrointestinal disorder.2 Reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus is most frequent after meals because of an increase in the number of transient LES relaxations during this period.1, 8 Meals would be expected to reduce the noxious effects of gastric juice by increasing its pH through their buffering effect. However, our current studies indicate that the gastric juice closest to the squamocolumnar junction largely escapes the
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