Acid Reflux Disease Symptoms

Acid reflux disease is a condition in which the stomach acids abnormally reflux into the esophagus. This phenomenon is irregularly experienced by most people, most especially after eating.

Our body uses gastric and stomach acids to break down the food that we eat. Normally, after the digestion in the stomach, the food is delivered by the digestive muscles to the intestines for extra digestion. But in patients who have acid reflux disease, the acidic stomach contents are moved back to the esophagus, which then causes inflammation. Cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, pregnancy and fatty foods are some factors which worsens acid reflux conditions.

Our present knowledge about acid reflux based on medical researches tells us that this disease is common in men as it is in women. There is no sexual preference. Moreover, the prevalence of acid reflux is more frequent in people of 40 years of age or more.

Symptoms of acid reflux may be typical or atypical. But based on the diagnosis of acid reflux patients, only 70% of those who have this disease manifest typical symptoms.

Typical or esophageal symptoms concern indicators which are related with the esophagus. Such symptoms include the following:

• Heartburn - This is a condition in which the patient feels a painful burning feeling in the esophagus. The pain often develops in the chest and may swell to the neck or throat. This is most probable to occur in relation with these activities: after a heavy meal, lifting, bending over, and lying down. Based on one study, about 75% of acid reflux patients experience this symptom at night. These night-time patients also tend to experience more harsh pain than those whose symptom occurs at other times.

• Dyspepsia - Researches show that about half of acid reflux patients have dyspepsia. This is a syndrome which consists of pain and distress in the upper abdomen, nausea after a meal and stomach fullness. It is not a rule however, that those who have dyspepsia have acid reflux.

• Regurgitation - This is when the gastric contents back up into the pharynx and sometimes as far as the mouth. In cases where the acids have spilled into the tracheobronchial tree, respiratory complications can be stimulated.

There are many instances, though, that acid reflux patients do not manifest symptoms such as regurgitation and heartburn. Instead, they experience atypical or extraesophageal symptoms which include the following:

• Throat Symptoms - Although it does not commonly happen, acid reflux patients suffer from symptoms that occur in the throat. Hoarseness, the feeling of having a lump in the throat, dry cough are undergone by those who have acid laryngitis, a throat symptom. Patients can also have difficulty in swallowing, a condition known as dysphagia. In critical cases, the food may get trapped in the throat or even choke, which can result to a severe chest pain. Other throat symptoms are chronic sore throat and persistent hiccups.

• Vomiting and Nausea - When a patient suffers from nausea which persists for weeks, he may have acid reflux. There are few instances where vomiting can occur as often as once a day.

• Respiratory Symptoms - Coughing and wheezing are counted as respiratory symptoms. These result from the overrunning of the stomach acids into the tracheobronchial tree creating bronchoconstriction.

Acid reflux disease can last for several months if not given proper medical attention. Drug treatment may only be required for a short time. But when the symptoms tend to repetitively occur, the drug treatment may have to be reapplied.

Magnifying Acid Reflux

Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), the medical term for “acid reflux” is defined as the product of abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus thus, creating a mucosal damage, likewise known as the chronic symptom.

This disease strikes adult primarily, while infants and children can also be affected. Normally spurred by eating certain foods, if not pregnancy, or taking a sleep right after eating a heavy meal, a large number of persons suffer from acid reflux at one time or another.

Heartburn or acid indigestion is another name that refers to acid reflux. Heartburn, the major symptom of acid reflux in the esophagus, is described to cause a burning uneasiness at the back of the sternum.

The symptoms may come as coughing, voice transformation, hoarseness, constant ear ache, or sinusitis. The complications brought upon by acid reflux may lead to esophageal ulcers or worse this can lead to esophageal cancer.

However, constant heartburn sensations do not necessarily mean that one has captured GERD already. The risk occurs when heartburn happened more than once a week, this occasion could possibly lead in developing GERD.

The usual cause of GERD is the increase in acidity or gastric acid production in the body, obesity, pregnancy, or tight-fitting apparels, these all can add to the problem. The yeast infections are also thought to be one of the causes of GERD-like symptoms.

An added ironical cause of the GERD is the insufficient production of stomach acid in the body. The explanation says that the valve, the hollow organ with a flap that insure the one-way course of fluid through the organ, once emptied triggers acidity in the intestines. If the valve fails to open, the contents of the stomach will be blended into the esophagus, and then irritation occurs.

Meanwhile, there are already several treatments for GERD today, one of which is the balance and healthy eating habits. Now if proper diet fails to work, one can shift to medication therapy or surgery as suggested by the doctors. Below are the lists of several selections of acid reflux treatment:

• Proper diet: the natural way to cure acid reflux is through change in their eating habits. A good number of people affected by GERD found success in following this method. Avoid the food ingredients which can intensify heart burn such as caffeine, soft drinks and smoking. Avoid eating two hours before sleeping; likewise, avoid lying down after taking meal. These are the regular suggested change in lifestyle.

• Another easy way to treat GERD is to elevate the head of the bed. The pharmacologic therapy, the combination of prevention of food two hours before sleeping and the rise of the head of the bed, there is a great chance for a patient to gain a 95 percent relief. The rise of the head of the bed is suggested to range for only 6 to 8 inches or 20 cm. Using this method the backflow of gastric fluids will be hampered.

• Drug treatment: drugs reduce the secretion of the gastric acid, for instance and famotidine and omeprazole lessen the secretion of gastric acid and the antacids counteract the acid.

• Surgical treatment: the Nissen fundoplication, the standard surgical treatment for acid reflux, the medication process will only cover a short period of time. The function of this is to support the sphincter, a spherical bond of muscles that opens and closes to let the food or waste to pass, as well as stop acid reflux, and of course restore the hiatal hernia.

Getting on Track with the Right Acid Reflux Diet

If you have acid reflux disease, following a well laid out acid reflux disease diet plan is one of the best things you can do to fight acid reflux. Sticking to an acid reflux diet can also help you become healthier and get in shape. Your life will be positively affected by an acid reflux disease diet if you make it a permanent part of your life. The acid reflux disease diet not only helps alleviate the symptoms of the acid reflux, it also helps to eliminate acid reflux from your life. Following an acid reflux disease diet will give you a better chance of having a healthy digestive system.

The foods that tend to aggravate the digestion for you will need to be cut out of your diet as much as possible. Spicy and hot foods are some of the worst for aggravating the acid reflux symptoms. Certain fruits and vegetables create a lot of gas in the stomach so these need to be avoided because of the irritation they can cause on the intestines. Adding supplements and extra nutrients from other sources can help the body to make up for the foods that you are getting rid of by omitting the healthy foods from your acid reflux disease diet.

When any food is taken out of the diet, it will need to be replaced with something that you can have that will offer you the same or close to the same things. It is best that you talk to a doctor before starting on an acid reflux disease diet. You do not want to take out something that you really need for your health. If you are not healthy then your body can not fight the problems and stand up to the pain you may have.

Other problems can be the result of the taking something out of your diet that you desperately need to stay healthy. Acid reflux will be the least of your worries. Selecting the food to take out of your acid reflux disease diet needs to be done carefully. Always replace one thing that is not good for the acid reflux with something that is good for you; make sure that things are balanced out. If you need help planning your acid reflux disease diet, you can always contact a doctor or nutritionist. They may be able to create an acid reflux disease diet for you that will make things easier on you.

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Acid Reflux Diet