GERD: A lot more than Heart Burn

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease/ Reflux Disease/ Acid Reflux

The stress and work pressure have brought many diseases which are further aided by our faulty lifestyles. The factors which most commonly lead to problems are:

• Late working hours
• Irregular meal timings
• Unhealthy food habits
• Inadequate sleep
• Stress or work pressure
• Smoking/ Alcoholism
• High Caffeine intake (coffee)
• Travel

All of the above leads to many problems which have become very common even in younger age groups:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obesity
• Gastritis/ GERD and many more ailments.

What is GERD?

It’s very common to have heartburn which is often known as Gastritis/GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). Our stomach contents are acidic which at times regurgitate in our throat leading to a burning sensation in the throat and chest. When this becomes a regular problem then it leads to chronic changes in our throat which are known as GERD.

GERD is a combination of symptoms caused by Acid Reflux:

• Fullness of throat
• Bloated sensation
• Burning in chest and throat
• Dryness of throat
• Stickiness of throat
• Cough

What is the cause of GERD?

There are many factors that could lead to GERD:

• Anatomical factors– when our lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is lax and it is not tight enough to stop the gastric contents from regurgitation.
• Faulty lifestyle– less sleep/ stress/ sleeping immediately after meals these all factors can aggravate GERD
• Faulty food habits– fried/ oily/ spicy food, over-eating, late meals, etc. cause GERD.

Risk Factors:

• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Hiatus Hernia
• On medication (antibiotics/ steroids/ NSAIDS)

Other factors:

• Larger/ late-night meals
• Beverages like Alcohol/ Coffee
• Smoking
• Certain food- Fatty/ Oily food

How is GERD diagnosed?

There is a battery of tests that could be done to diagnose the disease:

• Laryngoscopy
• GI Endoscopy
• PH monitoring
• Esophageal Manometry
• Barium Swallow

 Complications of Chronic Acid Reflux:

• Narrowing of Esophagus
• Esophageal ulcer
• Esophagitis
• Barrett’s esophagus is a Precancerous condition.

GERD is a vast topic, in this post I’ve summarized a few important aspects of the disease. I’ll be covering more about it in my upcoming posts. The treatment of the problem lies in Lifestyle modifications.

Be Healthy Be Happy.

For Treatment of GERD Read: GERD: A lot More than Heartburn – Part 2 (How to Treat it?)

Suffering from Stomach Cramps could be Irritable Bowel Disease/ IBS know more about it.

For More Information Read:

• https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/reflux-disease-gerd-1#1
• https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd#diet
• https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/related-conditions/gastroesophageal-reflux-disease
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/symptoms-causes/syc-20361940

Disclaimer: This article is for reference purposes only, under no circumstances it should be used as a replacement of medical opinion by Professionals. Any decision regarding health and health care should be taken after professional advice only. Health care advice and information shared by the author are best to her knowledge. We disclaim all responsibilities for any inadvertent omission/ commission by the author or the website.