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Increased gastric acid secretion as a possible cause of GERD

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Many experts maintain that GERD is caused by dysfunction of the gastroesophageal barrier and that gastric acid secretion is not the primary underlying defect. By contrast, a recent study by Reimer and colleagues raises the possibility that increased gastric acid secretion is an important cause of GERD.

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Figure 1: Gastric acid output measured at baseline and 15 days after stopping 8 weeks of treatment with omeprazole in healthy individuals not infected with Helicobacter pylori.

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The author is President of Science for Organizations Inc., a company that provides consulting services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

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Gardner, J. Increased gastric acid secretion as a possible cause of GERD. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 7, 125–126 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2009.240

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