MedWire News: For patients with chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, treatment with stomach acid-suppressing drugs called proton pump inhibitors is as effective as anti-reflux surgery for controlling symptoms of the condition in the long term, say researchers.

"During recent years, there has been some debate as to the relative value of long-term proton pump inhibition therapy compared with anti-reflux surgery for the management of chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux disease," explain lead researcher Dr Lars Lundell, from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues.

They add: "With the introduction of laparoscopic ['keyhole'] anti-reflux surgery for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, along with the increasing efficacy of modern medical therapy, a direct comparison is warranted."

The team therefore studied data on 554 patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease who received either long-term treatment with a proton pump inhibitor or underwent laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery.

The severity and frequency of reflux symptoms were similar in both groups of patients at the start of the study.

Three years later, the researchers found that 90% of the surgery patients and 93% of those taking proton pump inhibitors were still in remission and had not experienced any significant reflux symptoms.

None of the patients in the surgery group reported any major complications after the procedure and the medication was 'well tolerated' in patients taking proton pump inhibitors, says the team.

However, more patients in the surgery group reported mild swallowing difficulties and flatulence than those in the medication group.

Dr Lundell and team conclude in the journal Gut: "This study has shown that in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease patients... good quality surgical or medical therapy achieves very high standards of patient outcome.

"Both treatments were highly effective... and well tolerated."