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Acid Reflux Symptoms

By Jack Ritchies

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 14Apr2010 Word count: 515 Viewed: 505 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) can have many symptoms and causes but two of the more frequent indications are acid regurgitation and heartburn. Acid comes back into the mouth and/or throat and is usually easy to spot due to its acerbic, disagreeable taste.

Heartburn usually has a warm, burning sensation coming up from the stomach and settling around the chest area.

These acid reflux symptoms are quite common after a big meal and may be exacerbated when prone but can be alleviated with a change in diet and lifestyle.

For instance, try eating smaller meals perhaps more often and, if you are a smoker there's no option but to go on a specific acid reflux diet.

What causes acid reflux disease is acid leaking back into the tube - the esophagus - running from the throat to the stomach. There are many over the counter medicines which may counteract this condition and some acid reflux remedies using natural solutions.

However, extreme cases can require some surgery to alleviate the problem. In any case repetitive attacks may well weaken the lining of the esophagus causing additional problems.

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common problem throughout the developed world and is one of the primary origins of heartburn and indigestion. In fact, some studies go so far as to suggest that one fifth of the adult population suffer acid reflux about once or twice a week.

Usually gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is diagnosed quite quickly, easily and painlessly by your normal doctor although occasionally the doctor may require a confirmatory test such as an endoscopy. Effectively this means passing a tiny video camera down your throat and having a look around.

In most cases, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) can be diagnosed by your doctor asking about your acid reflux symptoms. Further testing is not usually required but, if it is, there are a number of different ways that GERD can be confirmed.

One such is an endoscopy where the inside of your body is directly examined using a device known as an endoscope. An endoscope is a long, slim flexible tube attached to a video camera at the end, so that images of the inside of your body can be seen on a computer screen.

If you are comfortable with this procedure it is not necessary to give you any drugs. However, if you are somewhat sensitive around the mouth and throat it is likely you will be given a tranquilizer to relax you. Occasionally, an endoscopy will throw up other problems such as damage to the stomach walls, a hiatus hernia or, in extreme cases, stomach cancer.

Alternatively an endoscopy will draw a blank and, in fact, up to around 25% of the time there will be no evidence of any significant problem in spite of the usual symptoms. This is referred to as ENRD or, to spell it out, endoscopy-negative reflux disease.

So, if you get the tell-tale signs of a burning sensation in the chest and/or a bitter acidic taste it's well worthwhile having a chat with your doctor about acid reflux symptoms.

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