Everything You Need to Know About Acid Reflux
Symptoms, Diet, Risk factors, Complications, etc.
What are acid reflux and GERD?
Acid reflux is a condition in which the acid fluids from your stomach move up to the esophagus. The other terminologies for acid reflux are Acid regurgitation or gastro esophageal reflux.
If you experience acid reflux symptoms more than twice a week, you might have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Causes of GERD
The lower esophageal sphincter is a ring of muscles at the end of the esophagus where it meets the stomach. When you swallow, it relaxes and opens when it's functioning properly. After that, it tightens and closes again.
When your LES does not tighten or close properly, acid reflux occurs. This causes your stomach's digestive juices and other contents to rise into your esophagus.
Symptoms of Gerd
- Heartburn
Acid reflux can cause a burning sensation in your chest that can exude up into your throat. This sensation is commonly known as heartburn.
Heartburn is characterized by a burning sensation in the chest area. However, for some patients, the pain might be an acute or pressure-like pain rather than a burning sensation. This type of pain can be mistaken for heart pain (angina). The pain may spread to the back in some patients.
As acid reflux often occurs after meals, heartburns are also often seen after meals. Heartburn is more likely to happen when people lie down because reflux occurs more quickly, acid is returned to the stomach more slowly without the effects of gravity. Heartburn wakes up several GERD patients from their sleep.
- Regurgitate
You can feel a sour or bitter taste in the back of your mouth if you have acid reflux. As a result of acid reflux, you might regurgitate any food or fluid that you've intaken. Since only small amounts of liquid enter the esophagus in most GERD patients, the liquid stays in the lower esophagus. Larger volumes of liquid, often containing food, are occasionally refluxed and enter the upper esophagus in some GERD patients.
- Cough and asthma
GERD can make swallowing difficult for some people. It may cause respiratory problems such as chronic cough or asthma.
The lower esophagus contains a large number of nerves. The pain is caused by the stimulation of some of these nerves by the refluxed acid (usually heartburn). You do not go through any pain when other nerves are stimulated. They rather activate other nerves that cause coughing.
In this manner, the refluxed liquid might lead to coughing without ever touching the throat. Reflux into the lower esophagus may stimulate esophageal nerves that bind to it and stimulate nerves leading to the lungs. As a result of this, the nerves to the lungs can narrow the smaller breathing tubes, resulting in an asthma attack.
- Nausea
In the case of GERD, nausea is not normal. It's rare to find a Gerd patient suffering from nausea. However, it can be persistent and intense in some patients and can lead to vomiting. GERD is one of the first conditions to be considered in patients who experience unexplained nausea and/or vomiting. It's uncertain why some GERD patients only experience heartburn, while others only experience nausea.
GERD DIET
There are certain food items and beverages one must avoid having if one is suffering from Gerd.
- Oily food
- Citrus fruits
- Alcohol
- Tobacco
- Mint
- Pineapple
- Tea
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Spicy foods
GERD treatment options
Your doctor may advise you to change your eating habits or other behaviors to prevent and alleviate GERD symptoms. These are some of the medications doctors usually prescribe to a person who is suffering from Gerd. Please consult a doctor before consuming these medications.
- Antacids
- H2 receptor blockers
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)
Some patients may require stronger H2 receptor blockers or PPIs. Despite all the therapies, if Gerd continues to persist, surgeries might be recommended.
Difference between heartburn and GERD?
Heartburn is a frequent acid reflux symptom. Heartburn is something that most people get from time to time, and it's usually nothing to worry about.
However, if you experience heartburn more than twice a week, you might be suffering from GERD.
If left untreated, GERD is a chronic form of acid reflux that can lead to serious complications.
What is IBS?
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is a chronic disease that affects the intestines, especially the large intestine. The cause of IBS is unclear, but the signs, which usually include abdominal pain and changes in bowel movements, are difficult to ignore. Since IBS symptoms vary so much from person to person, it can be difficult to diagnose. Some people experience diarrhoea, while others experience constipation. And for others, it alternates between the two. Others observe a change in the frequency or urgency of bowel movements rather than the type of stool. Alternatively, your bowel movements can seem regular, but you experience abdominal pain every time.
What is the difference between IBS and acid reflux?
It's easy to differentiate between acid reflux and IBS. For instance, since they affect so many different organs, one may experience pain or discomfort in totally different parts of the body. Acid reflux affects the upper abdomen and chest, while IBS affects the lower abdomen and pelvis.
The symptoms that go along with it are also very different.
How is IBS and acid reflux related?
Dr. Gil Weitzman, a leading gastroenterologist, and an Evens counselor state that because both conditions often occur together, there is a possibility that they may have a similar potential cause, but this remains unclear. Both can be caused by food, so your body's response to those foods may have something to do with it.
Risk factors for GERD
- Obesity
- Hiatal hernia
- Pregnancy
- Connective tissue disorders, such as scleroderma
- Keeping your stomach empty for a long time
- Tobacco use
- Consuming large meals or gorging on food late at night
- Eating fried and fatty food items
- Consumption of aerated drinks, coffee, alcohol, etc.
- Taking a lot of medicines
What are the complications of GERD?
- Ulcers
- Strictures
- Barrett's esophagus
- Inflammation of the throat and larynx
- Inflammation and infection of the lungs
- Fluid in the sinuses and middle ears
Living With GERD
One must not take GERD lightly and must consult a doctor if needed. Early detection and care may help to alleviate or even eliminate unpleasant symptoms. GERD, on the other hand, if left untreated, will permanently damage the esophagus. The easiest way to live with Gerd is to avoid the conditions that trigger your symptoms. Some people will have to restrict their intake of certain foods, and others will have to eliminate them.
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