Latin American Consensus on the Diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Latin American experts applied an exhaustive evaluation of the range of diagnostic methods for this disease, which shows an increase in its incidence at a global and regional level, given the rise in rates of obesity and population aging. The consensus was recently published by the Revista Acta Gastroenterológica Latinoamericana.

With the support of the Pan American Gastroenterology Organization (OPGE), the American Society of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (ANMS) and several Latin American Gastroenterology Scientific Societies (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico) that appear in the writing, recently The Latin American Consensus on the Diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) was published in the prestigious Journal Acta Gastroenterológica Latinoamericana.

The publication was made possible thanks to the hard work of a renowned group of Latin American experts and based on an exhaustive analysis of the best available evidence, and used the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology, which allowed evaluating the quality of the evidence of 23 questions that cover the full range of diagnostic methods for GERD.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a highly prevalent disorder in our region and its incidence has been increasing in recent years, along with the increase in overweight/obesity and the increase in population age. This pathology generates a deterioration in the quality of life of patients and important health expenses, being one of the most frequent reasons for consultation in gastroenterological clinical practice and its diagnosis is sometimes difficult.

According to Dr. Jorge Olmos, Head of the Neurogastroenterology section of the Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín, University of Buenos Aires (Argentina), “Through significant technological advances in recent years, we have contributed to the development of an important improvement, both in the understanding of the physiopathogenic mechanisms as well as the diagnosis of GERD. We consider it of great importance that clinicians and gastroenterologists who treat this condition have knowledge of the appropriate use, correct interpretation, performance and limitations of diagnostic tests” .

In the same vein, Dr. Marcelo Vela, professor of medicine, Section of Esophageal Disorders, Director of the Advanced Residency in Diseases of the Esophagus, Mayo Clinic, Arizona (United States); He pointed out that “The strength of the recommendation of each body, included in this consensus, was submitted to the vote of the group of experts in a meeting centralized in the Argentine Society of Gastroenterology. We hope that this document will be useful in the practice of our specialty, in the countries of our region”.


Link to Consensus: https://actaojs.org.ar/ojs/index.php/acta/article/view/210