Dr. Cedric G. Bremner

Cedric G Bremner MD, BCh, ChM

Professor of Clinical Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Dr. Bremner received his postgraduate at The University of The Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1953.He completed his residency in Johannesburg, London ( Hammersmith Hospital), and in Dundee, Scotland.He was introduced to esophagology by Dr. Henry Ellis while serving as a Fellow at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Bremner was Professor and Chief Surgeon in Johannesburg hospitals where he continued interest in esophageal disorders.He initiated the motility and stricture clinic at the Johannesburg Hospital.

In 1992 Dr. Bremner joined Dr. Tom DeMeester's department of surgery at USC in Los Angeles.

Cedric G Bremner MD, BCh, ChM

Cedric G. Bremner , MDProfessor of SurgeryDirector of Research & Fellowship ProgramDepartment of SurgeryUniversity of Southern CaliforniaKeck School of MedicineLos Angeles , CA

"This is Western disease," states Cedric Bremner, an expert in acid reflux disease and a professor of surgery at the USC Keck School of Medicine."We're not sure why but we do believe it is acquired rather than genetic, because it is something that has occurred in the last 30 or so years and exploded in the last 20."

According to Bremner, 18% of Americans experience heartburn weekly; 4%-7% experience it daily.Severe acid reflux which causes erosions in the esophagus afflicts about 2%.This is compared to the United Kingdom where 10%-15% experience the disease weekly.Only 0.07% in Japan experience acid reflux weekly.

"We believe it probably involves the diet," says Bremner, who is a foregut surgeon.
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Bremner says that America's love affair with sodas may also contribute to acid reflux, because it also distends the stomach.
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"Many general practitioners will put patients on PPIs for two weeks and if the heartburn goes away they will determine the patient had acid reflux," Bremner explains.

Cedric Bremner, MD, Professor of Clinical Surgery, Director of Clinical Research, Dept. of Surgery/USC School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California