Chronic acid reflex, more commonly referred to as heartburn, is a painful condition where the contents of the stomach leak back into the gullet or oesophagus. Now a new device may be set to offer sufferers relief from the digestive disorder.
The device is similar in style to a bracelet and is made with magnetic beads. It is inserted into the valve between the gullet and the stomach, helping to keep the stomach stay closed and stopping the leaking of acid and other stomach contents.
A five-year study involving the device reported after three years and reveals that the device eased the symptoms of chronic acid reflux in 92 out of 100 patients fitted with the device with 87% of patients able to stop taking the acid-suppressing drugs usually prescribed to deal with the condition.
Medics at the Mayo Clinic in Florida have been helping to study the effects of the device and have described it as the first new, safe and effective way of treating chronic acid reflux to be discovered in two decades. Until now the only treatment for the condition has been acid-suppressing medication or surgery to repair the leaking valve, neither of which has proved to be fully effective for patients.
The study revealed that some patients did have problems with the device with it having to be removed from four patients. Almost 70% of patients in the study also had difficulty swallowing immediately after the surgery but the effects of this wore off in time.
Chronic acid reflux is officially known as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and is a common condition. Most people only suffer mild discomfort or heartburn when the acid from the stomach is able to leak through a weakened sphincter into the gullet. However, if severe and left untreated, the condition can lead to more serious health problems. One of those more serious problems is Barrett’s oesophagus, a pre-cancerous condition caused from excessive acidic damage to the oesophagus, which can lead to oesophageal cancer.
The new device is inserted into the oesophagus in a surgical procedure that lasts around two hours.
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