GERD | Symptoms, Causes and How to Treat?
What are the causes of GERD?
Many reasons lead to the occurrence of GERD in some and the occurrence of gastric acid reflux back into the esophagus, and below we review the most critical causes of GERD:
- It often happens with people who smoke heavily.
- Obesity is also one of the most common causes of this disease.
- Pregnancy also can cause GERD.
- Hiatal hernia also causes this disease.
- Excessive alcohol consumption over a long period leads to disease.
- In addition, the disease can occur due to some wrong practices from a health point of view, such as eating some foods that raise stomach acids, or eating late in the day and sleeping immediately afterward.
- Taking certain medications, such as aspirin, can cause GERD.
- Some cases of ulcers occur in the stomach and duodenum can lead to disease.
Physiologic form of GERD
Food is supposed to pass from the mouth to the stomach through the pharynx and then the esophagus on a regular basis, and this happens in normal cases.
However, in the case of a defect in the sphincter of the esophagus, which is located at the end, it causes a problem in the closure of its sphincter muscle after the descent of food into the stomach.
This imbalance also causes stomach acid and some halal food to reflux into the esophagus again, causing irritation and inflammation in the wall of the esophagus called GERD.
How is the disease diagnosed medically?
There are some medical examinations and procedures required by the doctor from the patient to confirm the incidence of GERD, including the following:
- X-ray exam
This uses complete imaging of the digestive system, which makes it easier for the doctor to identify the type of problem more clearly by seeing the inner wall of the stomach and also the esophagus, and through it he can see the upper wall of the intestine.
- Esophageal stricture measurement
Through this test, it is possible to measure the so-called narrowing of the esophagus that the patient suffers from through a barium examination, through which the patient swallows a barium tablet if he does not suffer from narrowing in the esophagus, but if he suffers, it is difficult for him to take the tablet.
- GERD esophageal manometry
Through this test, the specialist doctor measures the movement of the muscles of the esophagus by recording the contractions that occur in the esophagus, if they are present.
- Endoscope
This procedure through which an endoscope is used for the upper part of the stomach, esophagus, and intestines as well, and through it a special camera is used that allows seeing the internal parts of the digestive system clearly and identifying the condition of the inner wall.
This endoscope is highly flexible and is a tube that moves precisely through which any infections in the esophagus or in the stomach wall are detected.
It is also possible, after using it, for the doctor to take a sample of stomach and esophageal tissue in the event that he notices anything abnormal that requires laboratory analysis.
GERD symptoms
There are many treatments for GERD as well as its symptoms, but one of the most common symptoms that occur as a result of reflux in the esophagus is increased acidity in the period that is accompanied by a feeling of severe burning in both the esophagus and stomach.
This acidity reaches the mouth with gastric acid refluxing upwards causing pain and discomfort.
There is also another group of GERD symptoms that result from GERD, the most important of which is the reflux of the food itself into the throat and then into the mouth, which leaves a strong acidic and bitter taste, which is one of the symptoms.
In addition to other symptoms such as feeling a painful burning sensation in the chest area, it starts from behind the diaphragm and ends in the mouth, passing through the neck and pharynx.
Feeling a kind of unusual pain when swallowing food as a result of the narrowing of the esophagus.
How to treat GERD?
Some people wonder if esophagitis can only be treated with home remedies for GERD, and the truth is that GERD can be treated through some methods that the doctor decides to use when treating and begins to change the patient's dietary pattern.
Then he prescribed some antacid medications that help improve the patient's condition and relieve heartburn and reflux symptoms. These medications are taken for a period of not less than three weeks until effective results appear.
There are other types of GERD treatment that a doctor prescribes For the patient to get rid of this problem, which is as follows:
- Medicines that contain receptor blockers, may lead in the long run to a deficiency of vitamin B12 in the body.
- Inhibitors specific to protein pumps, help greatly in the treatment of chronic inflammation that occurs in the esophagus but are also considered ineffective as they cause long-term weakness and fractures in the bones, especially in the femurs.
- Medicines for contracting the lower esophageal sphincter, greatly help in strengthening the circular muscles of the esophagus, but taking them may lead to a feeling of nausea.
Ex:
- Omiz 20 mg 14 capsules is one of the best capsules for treating heartburn and digestive disorders, as it helps to reduce the secretion of acids that cause ulcers and GERD.
- Gavixon Extra Chewable Tablets 24 Tablets is one of the best medicines for stomach ulcers and GERD treatment. It also helps to comfort and calm the stomach.
- Nexium 40 mg 14 tablets is the best medicine used for heartburn, acidity relief, and digestive disorders.
Complications from GERD
There are many complications that can appear on the body due to a person suffering from GERD, and among these complications we mention the following:
- The occurrence of an ulcer in the esophagus occurs with the passage of a long time from the disease due to the presence of stomach acids in the esophagus for a long time.
- This leads to severe inflammation in the wall lining it, which causes it to erode, and it may also lead to severe pain and bleeding, but it happens with severe infection cases.
- A narrowing of the esophagus may result from the formation of some tissues that resemble benign tumors, which causes a noticeable narrowing in the diameter of the esophagus, which makes it difficult to swallow food normally, and here the patient complains of pain that occurs in conjunction with swallowing.
- Access to the so-called Barrett's esophagus also occurs as a result of some changes that occur in the cells lining the wall of the esophagus.
- With it, the transformation into another type of cancerous cell is known as Barrett's esophagus.
At the end of this article, we talked about GERD, its causes and symptoms, and the different methods of treatment, as well as how to diagnose it by a specialist doctor and medical examinations.