Have you ever felt an irritating bitter fluid flowing back from your stomach to your mouth like vomit? Does this happen to you frequently? If so, you should probably visit your local medical practitioner. Get your symptoms under control by finding Frisco GERD experts near you.
What is GERD?
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a situation that occurs when acid from your stomach occasionally flows back through your esophagus to your mouth, irritating your gut lining. Medications from the pharmacy can help deal with the discomfort of GERD. However, more potent drugs or surgery may be required for severe cases.
Signs and Symptoms of GERD
The most common ones include:
- Trouble in swallowing food
- Pain in your chest area
- A feeling of a lump in your throat
- A sensation of burning around your chest, especially after eating
- A bitter liquid or food being regurgitated
For acid reflux that occurs at night, you may also experience:
- Disruption of sleep
- Laryngitis
- A chronic cough
- Getting asthma or one that gets worse
What causes GERD?
When swallowing either food or drink, muscles at the bottom part of your esophagus relax, allowing them to pass into the stomach before the sphincter closes. Abnormal or weakened relaxation of these muscles may cause the reverse to happen—these acids from the stomach flow back into your esophagus. The regular movement of the acids up and down your gut may irritate the esophagus lining resulting in swelling, which causes Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Certain factors may increase the chances of the occurrence of GERD. These include:
- Disorders of connective tissues such as scleroderma
- Pregnancy
- Obesity
- Hiatal hernia characterized by swelling of the top of the stomach into the diaphragm
- Emptying of the stomach is delayed
Acid reflux can become extreme by factors that include:
- Taking alcohol or drinks such as coffee
- Eating a lot of food
- Eating foods that trigger GERD, like fatty foods
- Eating late at night
- Certain medications like aspirin
- Smoking
The swelling in your esophagus can occur over time and cause:
- An esophageal ulcer: This is an open sore caused by the wearing away of esophagus tissues. It may bleed therefore becoming painful, and may even make swallowing of food uncomfortable.
- Barrett’s esophagus: These are precancerous changes to the esophagus due to damage by the acid. The changes occur in the lining tissue of the lower esophagus and are associated with a higher chance of contraction of esophageal cancer.
- An esophageal stricture: This is narrowing of the esophagus due to damage to the lower parts of the esophagus. The injury causes scar tissue to form, narrowing the food pathway causing difficulties in swallowing food.
Check out our website or call our offices in Frisco, Texas, for more information.
