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Gut Reactions in Europe and US

May 22, 2001

Heartburn disease: A story of sleep, sex and suffering

22 May 2001 – Mölndal, Sweden – Eating, sleeping, sport and sex - activities that are supposed to be part of life’s pleasures are for a large group of people, being disrupted on a daily basis by an unlikely culprit – heartburn. More than 50 million Europeans (imagine the entire populations of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands and Austria combined1) suffer from heartburn disease, a condition in which stomach acid flows back into the esophagus causing an unpleasant burning pain and acid taste.

Results of a pan-European survey, involving more than 5000 people in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK, presented today at the Digestive Disease Week in Atlanta, US, highlight that heartburn substantially impacts on the daily life of 60 percent of European sufferers, including eating and drinking (48 percent), sleeping (16 percent), work (9 percent) and playing sport (12 percent).2 Raw data from the survey illustrated that, for one in ten, heartburn also interfered with ‘romantic encounters’.

In a group of just under 1000 US patients diagnosed with heartburn disease, heartburn significantly impaired the normal lives of 20 percent sufferers on a daily basis, according to results of a second study presented today.3 Problems included certain foods inducing heartburn (81 percent); difficulty getting a good night sleep (49 percent), feeling unwell (58 percent); lack of energy (41 percent); irritability (55 percent) and frustration (55 percent).

Physicians and academics are well aware of the impact of heartburn on sufferers, with patients with heartburn disease reporting worse emotional well-being than patients with diabetes or hypertension.4

Effective treatment available but sufferers unaware
“Despite the significant impact heartburn disease causes to the lives of many, sufferers are generally unaware that the condition is easily and effectively treated with prescription medication”, said Professor Roger Jones, Guy’s,
King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine, UK and joint author of the European study abstract.

Between 11 – 59 percent of European respondents mistakenly believed that diet and lifestyle change was the most effective treatment for heartburn disease and only 21 – 47 percent of respondents were aware that prescription therapy exists. 2

“Unfortunately, many of the people who suffer from the symptoms of heartburn have their lives severely disrupted, because they are not aware that they actually have a medical disorder that needs effective prescription drug treatment. Physicians can prescribe highly effective PPI therapy* for heartburn disease; instead patients make do with over-the-counter products or life style change”, said Dr David Armstrong, McMaster University, Canada and joint author of European study abstract.

International guidelines on the management of heartburn disease recommend that all patients with this condition should be initially treated with the most effective therapy available to rapidly stop symptoms and restore quality of life.5 Once symptoms are effective controlled, physicians may then want to ‘step down’ to a lower dose or less effective treatment.

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services.   It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world, with leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, anaesthesia (including pain management), cardiovascular, central nervous system (CNS) and respiratory products.

* Several PPI (proton pump inhibitor) therapies are available for the treatment of GERD, including esomeprazole (Nexium®) and omeprazole (Losec®) by AstraZeneca. Other available PPIs are lansoprazole, rabeprazole and pantoprazole.
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Helen Mills, Global Public Relations Manager, GI AstraZeneca,
tel: +44 1625 519 514, mobile: +44 780 307 9354,
e-mail: helen.t.mills@astrazeneca.com



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