Volume : 12, Issue : 06, June – 2025
Title:
THE MANAGEMENT OF GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE (GERD): ASSESSING THE LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS, LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS, AND SURGICAL INTERVENTION
Authors :
Mubashir Liaqat, Syed Hassan Mohi Ud Din Gillani, Sardar Khizar Hayat, Abdul Ahad, Dr. Muhammad Fahad Khaliq, Muhammad Burhan Javid
Abstract :
Background: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) was a common intestinal disease that as a whole occurred whenever there was the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus which was attributed to symptoms that included heartburn and regurgitation. Examples of management measures of GERD were synchronized with the inclusion of pharmacological methods using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), healthcare adjustments, and surgery involving the laparoscopic method fundoplication. There was need to understand the long-term effectiveness of these strategies so as to maximize outcome concerning patients.
Aim: This research attempted to evaluate and compare the long-term effectiveness of proton pump inhibitor and lifestyle adjustment and surgical treatment in the management of GERD.
Methods: This prospective, observational study was carried out in all its facilities within Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) between the period of June 2024 and May 2025. Ninety patients diagnosed by GERD were recruited and assigned to one of the following three groups according to treatment option: Group A was prescribed PPIs, Group B was engaged into systematic lifestyle change, and Group C received surgical treatment. At 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months, clinical follow-up, and symptom evaluation were carried out via quality of life (QoL) assessment and standardized gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptom scores.
Results: Patients in Group C (surgery) exhibited most lasting relief of symptoms with 83 percent reporting considerable improvement after a year. Symptom control was good in Group A (PPIs) initially with 70 percent at 3-month mark reducing to 58 percent at 12-month mark. The least effective in the long term was group B (lifestyle changes) whereby only 40 percent reported that they had sustained their symptom relief at the end of the study. The results showed that the quality-of-life scores were significantly raised in surgical group as compared to the rest (p<0.05). Group C has the lowest rate of recurrence whereas Group B has the greatest rate of recurrence.
Conclusion: Surgery was the best long-time treatment of GERD in improvement of symptoms and quality of life. Although PPIs showed good results in the short term, its shortcoming was that the results declined with time. Most patients required more than just lifestyle changes to control their symptoms on long-term basis. It was advised that an individual approach based on the severity of symptoms and patients’ preference should be taken to manage GERD.
Keywords: GERD, proton pump inhibitors, lifestyle modifications, surgical intervention, long-term efficacy, quality of life.
Cite This Article:
Please cite this article in press Mubashir Liaqat et al., Caffeine Consumption During Pregnancy: Systematic Review Of Impacts On Neonatal Outcomes.., Indo Am. J. P. Sci, 2025; 12(07).
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