Most of us have experienced gastritis and acid reflux, but Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a chronic condition with sustained acid reflux and various health consequences. It happens when there’s an elevated amount or production of gastric juice that exceeds the tolerable limit and goes beyond the opening of the stomach refluxing into the esophagus and creating mounting injuries to the esophageal mucosa. The first stage of gastroesophageal reflux disease is acid reflux that goes chronic or neglected by the patient for a long time, and the last stage of this disease, when left untreated, is esophageal cancer.
Thus, it is important to pay close attention to sustained or recurrent symptoms of gastritis and acid reflux and report them to your doctor for a careful evaluation. It is also important to know the risk factors of esophageal cancer and other alterations of the gastrointestinal tube that typically result from gastroesophageal reflux disease.
In this article, we are going to cover the basic aspects of GERD as well as an introductory summary of the most common complications and how to detect them. The most important symptoms you need to pay attention to are:
1) Heartburn
There are many common symptoms between acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease, and heartburn is probably the most important. As the name clearly implies, heartburn is a burning sensation in your chest that typically results from acid reflux. There’s a backward flow of stomach juices to your esophagus, and since the upper valve of your stomach reduces its normal activity, there’s not much obstacle for the acid to come out of the stomach when the patient is lying down.
Heartburn is typically felt after eating certain foods, especially spicy food, fried foods, and other fatty dishes. Therefore, it is important to include a series of lifestyle modifications that will significantly improve the symptoms of patients with chronic acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease.
