Heartburn — A Serious Symptom

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Abstract
Heartburn is a serious symptom that merits more attention from patients and physicians. It is the hallmark of gastroesophageal reflux, a disorder that may lead to esophagitis, progressing in some patients to the metaplastic columnar mucosal changes known as Barrett's esophagus, and ultimately to adenocarcinoma.Since the 1970s, the incidence of adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastric cardia has risen more rapidly than the incidence of any other cancer in the United States. During this time, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has increased by a factor of six to eight, with little change in the incidence of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma. . . .