Researchers continue to outdo themselves in their never-ending campaign to stamp out medical ignorance by proving what every human on the planet (except for medical professionals, apparently), have always known to be true. Believe it or not, they are now claiming to have finally uncovered scientific evidence that verifies that acid reflux has a negative effect on the Health-Related Quality Of Life (HRQOL) of patients, so that doctors can now make informed decisions about the condition.
Wow! Is that awesome or what? They should have the Nobel Prize For Medical Advancement clinched with this discovery.Persistent regurgitation tied to clinically relevant QOL decline“We demonstrate that frequent symptoms of regurgitation are detrimental to HRQOL in patients with GERD, and establish quantitative metrics for gauging this relationship,” researcher Nesta Hughes, PhD, Oxford PharmaGenesis, Tubney, UK, told Healio.com. “Importantly, we show that the negative impact of regurgitation on HRQOL is clinically relevant and is beyond that associated with heartburn both before and after potent acid suppression therapy.
“These findings are of particular interest to clinicians because they highlight the importance of regurgitation to patients, and we usefully suggest a threshold at which regurgitation should be considered troublesome.”
Note that the insinuation here is that the patient doesn't have sense enough to decide whether or not their acid reflux symptoms are affecting their quality of life — now the doctor can officially decide whether or not it's a problem.
Is that asinine or what?Is it just my imagination, or is it becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a straight face while attempting to associate the concepts of logic and intelligence with medical research these days? I can visualize the following scenario:
On a routine visit to see her doctor, the patient sits across the desk from the doctor, grimacing from the acid pain in her throat, as she dabs with a tissue at traces of regurgitated food that have escaped from the corners of her mouth. The observant and all-knowing doctor, visibly proud of the fact that he stays on the cutting edge of current research, spontaneously blurts out, "I see that you have a little reflux problem. Would you like for me to run a few tests to see if it might be significant enough to affect your quality of life?"
Tex
It doesn't get much cooler than that.