Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in the Elderly

Abstract

One of the significant problems that arises when studying GERD in elderly and senile individuals is the problem of diagnosing the disease. It is noted that the classic symptoms of both long-standing chronic diseases and those that have recently developed in elderly people change, the symptoms are smoothed out or even inverted. The dim expression of clinical manifestations, the absence of an acute onset of the disease often disorient the doctor. In particular, the lack of information on the clinical features and variants of GERD in elderly and senile patients, including those with polymorbidity, gives rise to a discussion about the frequency and diagnostic significance of heartburn and other symptoms in elderly patients with GERD. The difficulties in recognizing GERD are due to the imperfection of its diagnostic criteria, in particular those used in epidemiological studies, as well as the fact that there are a number of contradictions in the interpretation of the symptoms of the disease. Official statistics do not provide a complete picture of the prevalence of GERD among the population, since not all patients seek medical help. The prevalence of GERD in the population is studied using questionnaires that identify the disease based on an assessment of the frequency of its symptoms.