ABSTRACT
This paper was designed to discuss the problems of co-morbidity and approaches to the rehabilitation of the patients presenting with gastroesophageal reflux disease and a concomitant pathology and to analyze the issues concerning the possible vertebro-visceral correlations inherent in the diseases of the internal organs. AIM: To evaluate the vertebro-neurological status of the thoracic segment of the vertebral column in the patients suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease and to further improve the methods for their treatment taking into consideration the concomitant pathology, if any. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 290 patients at the age varying from 25 to 60 (mean 44,3±11,3) years with the non-erosive form of gastroesophageal reflux disease were examined in the phase of its exacerbation. They included 132 (45.5%) men and 158 (54.5%) women. The duration of the disease averaged 13.1±3.3 years and that of the exacerbation period 1.2±0.5 months. All the patients underwent the vertebro-neurological examination. The visual analog scale was used to obtain the subjective characteristics of the pain syndrome associated with thoracalgia The quality of life of the patients was estimated based on the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (scores of MOS SF-36). To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach to the treatment of the gastroesophageal reflux disease, the 260 participants of the study were randomly allocated to two groups, the main and control ones. The latter group was comprised of 130 patients given the standard treatment including the use of histamine H2-receptor antagonists, proton pump inhibitors, stimulators of the motility of the gastrointestinal tract, alginates, and other drugs, as indicated. The former group consisted of the remaining 130 patients undergoing the standard course of pharmacopuncture to correct the functional disorders in the thoracic segment of the vertebral column. The medications of choice for the purpose were the anti-homotoxic agents, such as placental compositum, co-enzyme compositum, and ubichinon compositum (Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, Germany). The statistical analysis was performed with the use of the non-parametric methods based on the Statistica application software package ('StatSoft Inc.', СШÐ). RESULTS: The present article reports the results of the study that demonstrate significant strong positive correlation between the clinical manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease (the frequency and severity of symptoms) and thoracalgia and provides a rationale for the assessment of the vertebro-neurological status of the thoracic spine in the patients exhibiting the clinical signs of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The study substantiated the inclusion of pharmacopuncture with placenta compositum, co-enzyme compositum, and ubichinon compositum anti-homotoxic medications in the complex rehabilitation programs for the patients presenting with the clinical signs of gastroesophageal reflux disease and the concomitant thoracalgia symptoms. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed method for the treatment of this condition, such diagnostic criteria as the vertebro-neurological symptoms, coefficient of the thoracalgia-associated pain syndrome, the frequency and intensity of the gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, and the quality of life parameters were used. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study provide strong evidence that pharmacopuncture helps to improve the quality of life of the patients, alleviate thoracalgia symptoms and clinical signs of gastroesophageal reflux disease, and reduce the intensity of the pain syndrome caused by thoracalgia.