An Introduction To Acid Reflux Disease

Many people are familiar with Acid Reflux disease whose primary symptoms are severe heartburn sometimes accompanied by an urge to vomit. Adults, children and infants can all suffer from reflux disease but the symptoms are not always easily recognizable.

Acid Reflux disease is more commonly referred to as GERD which stands for Gastro esophageal Reflex disease. It is a condition where the food tube becomes irritated and/or inflamed when a part of the stomach contents, which has been mixed with hydrochloric acid in the digestion process, is refluxed or regurgitated back into the esophagus. The situation usually happens when the sphincter muscle at the end of the esophagus fails to close properly after food has finally reached the stomach.

Although acid reflux disease, in the early stages, can be treated at home, when there are complications like severe chest pain that radiates towards the arm, neck or back, it becomes necessary to seek medical advice. Also significant is heartburn accompanied by vomiting blood, difficulty in swallowing solids or liquids along with dark coffee colored stools. So if you see these symptoms of acid reflux, do not delay, go to a physician as early as possible.

Reflux Disease Tests

In order to ascertain the extent of the damage caused by acid reflux, certain tests are done of which the Barium meal X ray of the upper gastrointestinal tract is a simple one. However, in more complicated cases, an upper GI endoscopy is recommended. Here a flexible probe along with a tiny camera is passed down the throat of the patient after sedation. The camera travels all through the esophagus, sending images to the doctor sitting in front of a monitor. This way, the damage to the esophagus, if any, can be easily assessed and medication, if required, provided.

Medications To Treat The Disease

The primary aim of medication in treating acid reflux is to block the production of enzymes needed to produce stomach acids. They are known as Proton Pump Inhibitors or PPIs. PPIs include Omeprazole, Esomeprazole, Lansoprazole, Rabeprazole, Pantaprazole, etc. Sometimes agents that promote the condition such as Metoclopramide and Bethanochol are also recommended to help tighten the lower esophageal sphincter and promote faster emptying of the stomach.

Preventing Acid Reflux Disease

The best way to prevent reflux disease from occurring is to alter the things that cause reflux. Some of them are listed below:

Maintain a healthy body weight.
\r Stay away from fatty or acidic food.
\r Instead of having three heavy meals a day, eat smaller amounts every two or three hours.
\r Refrain from eating anything three hours prior to going to bed.
\r Avoid alcohol, coffee and beer.
\r Keep an upright posture while sitting.

Acid Reflux disease, though not fatal, can cause a lot of irritation and problems so it is advisable to remedy the problem as soon as you identify the symptoms.

Louise Bell writes on health topics from a lay person\'s perspective. To find out more about a whole range of topics from acid reflux in infants to acid reflux vitamin u, for example, visit her Health Tips website - justhealthmatters.com - or click on the links above to go straight to the specific topic pages.

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