- 🔬Pathophysiology
- Incompetent lower esophageal sphincter → retrograde acid reflux → esophageal mucosal injury.
- 🩺Signs & Symptoms
- Heartburn (worse lying down/after meals), regurgitation, dysphagia; chronic cough/hoarseness.
- 🎯Gold Standard Diagnosis
- No gold standard exists; diagnosis combines symptoms, PPI response, EGD for alarm features, and reflux monitoring.
- 💊First-line Treatment
- Lifestyle changes + 8-week empiric PPI once daily before a meal; PPI preferred over H2RA.