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Editorial
. 2018 Mar 29;9(3):137.
doi: 10.1038/s41424-018-0010-y.

Baclofen and gastroesophageal reflux disease: seeing the forest through the trees

John O Clarke  1 , Nielsen Q Fernandez-Becker  2 , Kirsten A Regalia  2 , George Triadafilopoulos  2
Affiliations
Editorial

Baclofen and gastroesophageal reflux disease: seeing the forest through the trees

John O Clarke et al. Clin Transl Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Baclofen has been shown to decrease reflux events and increase lower esophageal sphincter pressure, yet has never established a clear role in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Lei and colleagues have shown in a recent elegant study that baclofen reduces the frequency and initiation of secondary peristalsis and heightens esophageal sensitivity to capsaicin-mediated stimulation. These findings may help explain both the benefit of baclofen in conditions such as rumination and supragastric belching, as well as the apparent lack of benefit of baclofen and other GABAB agonists in long-term treatment of GERD.

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Conflict of interest statement

Guarantors of the article

John O. Clarke.

Specific authors contributions

J.O.C.: planning and drafting the manuscript; approval of final draft. N.Q.F.-B.: critical revision of the manuscript; approval of final draft. K.A.R.: critical revision of the manuscript; approval of final draft. G.T.: critical revision of the manuscript; approval of final draft.

Financial support

None.

Potential competing interests

None.

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