GERD #1 – Understanding GERD
Up to seven million people suffer from Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. Unfamiliar with the term, keep watching.
Mark Haltrecht, D.O.
Family Practice Doctor
NSLIJ Plainview Hospital
GERD or acid reflux disease occurs when there is a backflow of acid from the stomach into the esophagus. Although, heart burn is a frequent symptom of GERD, a bout of heart burn does not mean that a person has the disease. In fact, GERD is only diagnose when the reflux of stomach acid causes pain that is severe enough to impact the person’s life on a regular basis and that is injurious to the esophagus.
To understand acid reflux disease, it helps to have a basic grasp of how the stomach works and how heart burn occurs. When you swallow, food passes down the throat through a long tube, the esophagus to the stomach. A muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES opens to allow food into the stomach and then closes again. At this point, the stomach releases strong acids to help breakdown the food you have eaten. But in patients with GERD, the LES relaxes when it should not or becomes weak allowing stomach acid to reflux or seep upward almost constantly. While occasional bouts of heart burn are common and generally harmless, frequently occurring acid reflux can greatly damage the esophagus in the long run.
Esophagitis or inflammation of the esophagus lining is a condition that occurs in about 20% or GERD sufferers. It can lead to a difficult, painful swelling, and on occasion, ulcers. In other more serious side effect of GERD is esophageal stricture, a narrowing of the esophagus which is caused by the body repeatedly attempting to repair reflux damage. Esophageal stricture can cause difficulty swallowing, food regurgitation and severe weight loss.
Another negative consequence of GERD is Barrett’s esophagus, a condition in which the body changes the structure of the cells lining the esophagus. This occurs due to the body’s repeat attempts to heal acid damage. The problem with these disorders of the esophagus is that many people just believe they have heart burn and our unaware of the more serious consequences of GERD.
Take Stephen, a patient who came to my office complaining about his acid reflux. Stephen had suffered painful bouts of heart burn almost everyday for a year before he came to my office and it is a good thing he did. While he just wanted a quick fix for a heart burn, an endoscopy showed that Stephen had Barrett’s esophagus, an early warning sign for esophageal cancer. This last and most serious result of GERD is rare but esophageal cancer has a very few symptoms and is quite difficult to treat.
If you have recurrent episodes of heart burn that do not go away and do not respond to over the counter treatment, you maybe suffering from GERD. Avoid these severe consequences by talking to your doctor about treatment options.
Want to learn more, check out other videos and sources on this site for more information.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services