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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a condition of reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus. This causes symptoms that are commonly referred to as heartburn. GERD affects approximately 60 million people on a monthly basis and has become a billion dollar pharmaceutical industry. Fortunately, the amount of energy and research invested in studying GERD has resulted in newer and better medications to treat the symptoms.
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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a condition in which the lower esophageal sphincter does not properly close and acid from the stomach leaks back into the esophagus. The esophagus carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Continuous exposure to the refluxed stomach acid on the esophageal lining causes a burning sensation in the chest or throat known as heartburn. Gastroesophageal reflux disease should not be mistaken with occasional heartburn. If the heartburn occurs more than twice a week, it may be GERD. This disease affects an estimated 5% - 7% of the global population.
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The initial treatment for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is lifestyle changes. Avoiding foods such as caffeine and alcohol can be useful at decreasing reflux. Since most of the damage to the esophagus occurs while lying flat at night while sleeping, elevating the head of the bed can help use gravity to keep gastric secretions in the stomach. Losing weight can decrease intra-abdominal pressure, and help prevent reflux.
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Acid reflux disease... known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD, afflicts millions of people. Many suffer from an occasional bout with heartburn, but acid reflux disease, as a diagnosis, should only be made if the heartburn causes impediments to your lifestyle due to severe, chronic discomfort over prolonged periods of time. Usually, if you suffer from heartburn 2 or more times per week for at least 12 weeks, there's a good chance that your diagnosis would be GERD. Unfortunately, no one knows exactly what causes acid reflux disease, but there is an ample amount of information available at your doctor's office and on the Internet.
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The diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is based on the history of symptoms characteristic for reflux as described previously. Physical examination may show redness orirritation of the throat (pharynx) or voice box (larynx). Esophageal Manometry testing is performed to measure the muscular contractions of the esophagus to see if they are normal. The most definitive test is a 24-hour pH probe test, which measures the pH (acidity) of the secretions in the lower esophagus over a 24-hour period while the patient records their symptoms. A correlation is then made between the symptoms and the presence of acid in the esophagus. Endoscopy is frequently used to visualize the lining of the esophagus to identify damage caused by exposure to acid such as inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis) or narrowing of the esophagus (stricture).
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The survey shows that many people with acid reflux disease lack a fundamental understanding of this disease and are confused about the cause of its symptoms. For instance, the survey reveals that many sufferers (40 percent)(3) don't consider acid reflux disease to be a true disease and are likely to incorrectly believe that their symptoms are caused by something they ate (53 percent) or by stress (34 percent)(4). Consequently, 71 percent of those who waited four months or more before going to a physician did so because they thought they could treat the symptoms themselves(5).
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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease