Unmet medical needs among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease: a foundation for improving management in primary care.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disease that has a significant impact on patients' health-related quality of life. While proton pump inhibitors have transformed GERD therapy, effective management of this disease is still a challenge. This review consolidates data from the recently published Burning Questions and Burning Desires surveys to provide a foundation for improved primary care management of GERD. First, the surveys confirm the significant troublesome impact of GERD on patients' health-related quality of life. Negative effects on sleeping and eating were identified as the leading causes for concern among such patients. Second, a lack of symptom control was identified among patients receiving physician-guided care for GERD, with many patients experiencing persistent symptoms. This was likely to be responsible for the third major finding of these surveys - the high rate of concomitant over-the-counter medication use among patients receiving prescription therapy. The surveys also uncovered a disconnect between patients and physicians in terms of GERD symptom severity, and perceptions of GERD and its treatment. Such findings outline the requirement for improved management of GERD, including the need to identify patients who may benefit from reassessment and more effective therapies. Patient-reported, questionnaire-based tools may aid physicians in this regard.