Breath Tests for Alcohol in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Authors: Stergios Kechagias
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Letters16 February 1999Breath Tests for Alcohol in Gastroesophageal Reflux DiseaseStergios Kechagias, MD, Kjell-Å ke Jönsson, MD, PhD, and Alan Wayne Jones, PhD, DScStergios Kechagias, MDUniversity Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Kechagias)University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Jönsson)University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Wayne, Jones)Search for more papers by this author, Kjell-Å ke Jönsson, MD, PhDUniversity Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Kechagias)University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Jönsson)University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Wayne, Jones)Search for more papers by this author, and Alan Wayne Jones, PhD, DScUniversity Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Kechagias)University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Jönsson)University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Wayne, Jones)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-130-4-199902160-00101 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs in approximately 7% of the U.S. population, with daily symptoms such as heartburn, epigastric pains, and eructations (1). It is aggravated by eating spicy foods, smoking, and drinking alcoholic beverages (2, 3). Breath tests for alcohol influence are done thousands of times each day for traffic-law enforcement purposes, for work-place alcohol testing, and in emergency medicine settings. The results of breath-alcohol testing might be jeopardized if alcohol erupts from the stomach into the mouth just before or during a test, thereby producing a false high reading (4, 5).We investigated the effect ...References1. Greenberger NJ. Update in gastroenterology. Ann Intern Med. 1998;129:309-16. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Kahrilas PJ. Cigarette smoking and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Dig Dis. 1992;10:61-71. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Pehl C, Wendl B, Pfeiffer A, Schmidt T, Kaess H. Low-proof alcoholic beverages and gastroesophageal reflux. Dig Dis Sci. 1993;38:93-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Caddy GR, Sobell MB, Sobell LC. Alcohol breath-tests: criterion times for avoiding contamination by mouth alcohol. Behav Res Meth Instrument. 1978;10:814-8. CrossrefGoogle Scholar5. Gullberg RG. The elimination rate of mouth alcohol: mathematical modeling and implications in breath-alcohol analysis. J Forensic Sci. 1992;37:1363-72. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Kechagias)University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Jönsson)University Hospital; 581 85 Linköping, Sweden (Wayne, Jones) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByThe Rate of Dissipation of Mouth Alcohol in Alcohol Positive Subjects 16 February 1999Volume 130, Issue 4_Part_1Page: 328-329KeywordsAlcoholsAttentionEatingFoodGastroesophageal reflux diseaseMouthQuantitative analysisStomachSurgeryWine Issue Published: 16 February 1999 CopyrightCopyright © 1999 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...