Heartburn - Misunderstood and Misdiagnosed
By Janet Martin
Have you ever experienced heartburn - that burning feeling rising from the stomach or lower chest up towards the neck? If so, you may be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a serious condition that affects many people, including 50 million Europeans.
Unfortunately, many sufferers are not getting the right medical treatment because the condition is usually unrecognized by patients and often misdiagnosed as dyspepsia (indigestion). This was revealed by participants of the Genval Workshop in Belgium that recently developed guidelines for the management and treatment of GERD. The workshop brought together 35 doctors from 16 countries, including primary care physicians, gastroenterologists and surgeons with a major involvement in GERD.
Raquel Billiones has a PhD in Biology and has over 15 years experience as a researcher, scientific English teacher, and medical writer. Since 2006, she has been a freelance WAHM specializing in medical writing and scientific documentation. 
