Putting the heart in heartburn

2008年04月27日 浙江在线新闻网站

THE nation's first clinic specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of acid reflux was established at the Ruijin and Changhai hospitals in the city yesterday.

Similar clinics will be set up in eight major hospitals in Beijing, Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, Nanjing in Jiangsu Province and Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, experts said.

At the clinics, patients can have the disease diagnosed quickly and be treated effectively.

Acid reflux is a common disease, with 6 to 7 percent of the population displaying symptoms.

However, most sufferers do not understand the disease and buy medications at pharmacies without consulting specialists.

Experts said acid reflux is a chronic condition in which the acidic liquid content of the stomach regurgitates into the esophagus. Symptoms are heartburn, regurgitation and difficulty in swallowing.

About 20 to 40 percent of Western people suffer heartburn though only about 6.7 percent of people in China suffer it.

来源： Shanghai Daily 作者： Cai Wenjun 编辑： 侯玮