Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

In the last two decades gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), initially thought to be a disease only common in the West, is described increasingly in Asia, including the Philippines. A recent local report indicated that the prevalence of erosive esophagitis (EE), a common complication of GERD, has more than doubled, i.e., 2.9% to 6.3%, between the two time periods of 1994–1997 and 2000–2003, respectively. GERD causes recurrent annoying symptoms which are common reasons for clinic visits and consultations thus, it is the objective of these guidelines to provide both primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists a current, evidence-based, country-specific recommendations for the optimal management of GERD. These guidelines are intended to empower PCPs to make a clinic-based diagnosis