Relationship between Gastroesophageal Reflux and IL-8

Abstract

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition that develops by reflux of the stomach contents into the esophagus, and causes troublesome symptoms, such as heartburn and regurgitation. Non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) is characterized by the absence of esophageal mucosal damage during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, despite the presence of typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, such as heartburn and acid reflux. Barrett's oesophagus is an acquired condition whereby the native squamous mucosa of the lower oesophagus is replaced by columnar epithelium following prolonged gastro-oesophageal reflux and is the recognised precursor lesion for oesophageal adenocarcinoma Refractory GERD is defined as the persistence of typical symptoms that do not respond to stable, twice-daily PPI dosing during at least 12 weeks of treatment. Studies have shown that Immune mediated injury by the protease-activated receptor-2-interleukin8 (PAR_2_IL8) pathway may underlie the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).