Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease : Principles of Disease, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common disorders with an increasing prevalence and incidence in the last two decades. This book, edited by two experienced surgeons and a clinical psychologist in cooperation with numerous worldwide leading experts, presents clinically relevant information for gastroenterologists, internists, surgeons, residents and also nurses, who frequently care for GERD patients. Focusing on different treatment concepts – medical, endoscopic as well as surgical – the chapters include the basics of symptomatology and epidemiology, pathophysiology, GERD among different age groups, complications and its treatment, hiatal hernia or H. pylori and GERD, NERD and functional heartburn, diagnostic procedures and also presurgical examination. In addition, the patient's perspectives of disease, diagnostics and treatment are included, the same as economic aspects of GERD, and the impact of disease on quality of life or patient-reported outcomes after treatment. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common disorders in the Western world with an increasing prevalence and incidence in the last two decades. The clinical and also socio-economic burden of GERD is considerable and patients quality of life is significantly impaired. During the last years much has been learned about this common gastrointestinal disorder, helping to find new strategies in diagnosis and treatment, but also to understand the patients perspective of disease and its impairment in daily life.This book, edited by two experienced surgeons and a clinical psychologist in cooperation with numerous worldwide leading experts in the field of GERD, presents current and clinically relevant information for gastroenterologists, internists, surgeons, residents and also nurses who frequently care for GERD patients. This comprehensive clinical reference covers the full spectrum of GERD. Focusing on different treatment concepts - medical, endoscopic as well as surgical - the chapters include the basics of symptomatology and epidemiology, pathophysiology, GERD among different age groups, complications and its treatment, hiatal hernia or H. pylori and GERD, NERD and functional heartburn, diagnostic procedures and also presurgical examination. In addition, the patients perspective of disease, diagnostics and treatment are included, the same as economic aspects of GERD, and the impact of disease on quality of life or patient-reported outcomes after treatment. The Rhine, in many ways the most important river in Europe has undergone not only tremendous contamination but also recreation. This book clearly demonstrates that the Rhine is by far the best investigated water body worldwide. Many well known scientists have presented their knowledge in this book covering a wide span of different topics. The development of the Rhine, its catchment area and hydrology is as well presented as the development of water protection requirements and early warning systems on the Rhine. Additionally the book describes many aspects of water quality from the Rhine but also from alpine lakes, tributaries, estuary and adjacent coastal waters connected with the Rhine. This work provides a great deal of data obtained from the analysis and up-to-date monitoring of organic micro pollutants, such as e.g. pesticides, pharmaceuticals, synthetic aromatic sulfonates, chelating agents, industrial chemicals and by-products from chemical syntheses