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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease, is a common condition that affects from 5% to 7% of the population. The most common GERD symptom is chronic heartburn, but it's not the only symptom.
Other symptoms of GERD include:
- Belching
- Chronic sore throat
- Difficulty or pain when swallowing
- Waterbrash (sudden excess of saliva)
- Hoarseness
- Sour taste in the mouth
- Bad breath
- Inflammation of the gums
- Erosion of tooth enamel (the surface of the teeth)
NOTE: Chest pain is also a symptom of heartburn. However, it is often difficult to differentiate chest pain due to heartburn/GERD and chest pain due to heart disease. Therefore, be sure to get all chest pain evaluated IMMEDIATELY by a health care professional.
Sometimes, there are no symptoms and GERD is only diagnosed when complications (see below) arise.
How Is GERD Diagnosed?
First your doctor will review your symptoms of GERD with you and do a complete physical examination.
If he or she believes that you have GERD, usually you will be given a trial run of GERD medications (most often, proton-pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Aciphex, Prilosec, Prevacid, Zegerid, and Protonix) for two weeks to see if you experience relief.
In some instances, further testing, such as pH testing may be needed to aid in diagnosis.
What Causes GERD?
There is no known single cause of GERD. What we know is that it occurs when the normal defenses of the esophagus are overwhelmed by acid refluxing into it from the stomach.
Normally stomach acid is kept in the stomach by a muscular valve between it and the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter. If that valve is faulty for any reason, reflux occurs.
Factors that may contribute to GERD include smoking, being overweight or pregnant, the use of certain medications and consumption of GERD-aggravating foods (which vary on an individual basis).
The symptoms of GERD are a result of the damage caused by stomach acid that has entered the esophagus (heartburn, belching), higher into the throat (hoarseness, sore throat), or even into the mouth (sour taste in the mouth, erosion of tooth enamel).
How Is GERD Treated?
GERD is usually treated with a combination of prescription medications and lifestyle changes.
What Happens if GERD Goes Untreated?
Besides the obvious effect on quality of life, untreated GERD can lead to some serious complications. They include:
- Esophagitis. This is an irritation and inflammation of the lining of the esophagus caused by stomach acid.
- Dysphagia. Over time, untreated GERD causes difficulty swallowing, also called dysphagia.
- Barrett's esophagus. The chronic exposure to stomach acid can cause changes in the cells of the esophagus that may be precancerous.
- Esophageal cancer. Years of exposure to stomach acid may cause cancer of the esophagus.
Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
It’s not just what you eat that can cause your stomach to churn. It’s also how much you eat and what you do after meals.
