Akash B. Gadani, MD: The Current State of Treating GERD

The current of stable of treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is both safe and effective.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Akash B. Gadani, MD, Gastroenterology, Allegheny Health Network (AHN), said he is very satisfied with the current stable of treatments for GERD.

“Overall, the management of GERD has a good set of medications when it comes to managing,” Gadani said.

The current treatment options include histamine blockers such as Pepcid AC, as well as proton pump inhibitors (PPI).

“Those 2 medications are the basis of decreasing acid production in the stomach to be able to allow for patients to have a better quality of life from a symptom standpoint,” Gadani said.

Gadani explained the majority of GERD cases are treated by primary care physicians or internal medicine physicians. Here they will put the patient on a treatment regimen and attempt some lifestyle interventions to help with the disease. However, in the cases of more severe GERD activity or situations where the treatments are not actually working, the patient will then be referred to a gastroenterologist.

In situations where the patient does not respond to treatment, the gastroenterologist could suggest an upper endoscopy.