TORONTO-The rapid rise in visits to otolaryngology practices due to acid reflux is something most otolaryngologists-head and neck surgeons can appreciate. Reflux is increasing the patient numbers, period.
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January 2007According to figures in the National Ambulatory Care Survey (NACS), outpatient visits to all specialties rose dramatically for the past several years with regard to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), plateauing at 13 million visits for all physician groups, said Kenneth W. Altman, MD, PhD, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
If you look at the over-45-year-old age group, [reflux] accounts for almost 10 percent of all outpatient medical visits, he said. That is a pretty significant number in terms of all outpatient care.