Heartburn Sufferers New Brochure Promotes Understanding of a Public Health Epidemic (NAPSA)—Anew patient education brochure, aimed at informing nighttime heartburn sufferers about the severity of the condition, is now available from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Since its launch nearly one year ago, AGA’s Nighttime Heartburn Relief Effort has sought to raise awareness among physicians and their patients about the potential dangers associated with nighttime heartburn and what can be done to treatit. The campaign wascreated in response to a Gallup survey, which revealed that nearly 80 percent of the more than 60 million heartburn sufferers in America experience nighttime symptoms.* While the survey established the tremendousscope of the condition, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine established its severity—showing that nighttime heartburn sufferers are 11 times more likely to develop esophageal cancer. These findings, in combination with the revelation that nighttime heartburn also negatively affects quality of life for numerous sufferers, validated the need for patient and physician education. “Nighttime heartburn is a widespread, potentially dangerous and under-appreciated public health problem,” said Donald Castell, MD, chairman of the Department of Medicine at the Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, former president of AGA and chair of AGA’s Nighttime Heartburn Relief Effort. “This brochure is an important tool— providing sufferers with the information necessary to fully understand the condition and to manage their symptoms.” The brochure, unveiled by the AGAat this year’s Digestive Disease Week meeting, includes tips on prevention, and information on available treatment options. It also provides information on an Internet database designed to help patients locate a gastroenterologist in their area. The brochure is available free to con- tues sumers through the AGA’s Web site, www.gastro.org, or by calling the Nighttime Heartburn Relief Effort’s toll-free number, 1-877- GUT-9800. Throughout the remainder of the year, physicians representing the Nighttime Heartburn Relief Effort will be traveling to various cities across the country—talking to the media and meeting with local health organizations, in an effort to provide information to consumers and other medical professionals about the seriousness of nighttime heartburn. For more information about AGA’s Nighttime Heartburn Relief Effort or to find a gastroenterologist in your area, visit AGA’s Web site at www.gastro.org, or call 1- 877-GUT-9800. *Based on a survey of 1,000 adults experiencing heartburn at least once a week, conducted by Gallup for the American Gastroenterological Association.
