Many people tend to confuse Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD with stomach ulcer and acidity. However, Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD is a state in which the contents of the stomach including the ingested food and bile juices tend to come backwards or regurgitate back to the mouth through the oesophagus. The backward movement results in creating disturbance in the oesophagus, thus giving rise to the following symptoms:

• Sensation of food lying around in the area behind the breastbone.
• One of the most marked symptoms of this condition is heartburn that is also understood as burning pain in the area below the breastbone. Symptoms of heartburn can be aggravated during certain condition including changing postures such as bending, lying down or sudden movement causing the person to sit up. There are people who complain that the condition tends to become more serious during the night.
• Sensation of nausea after having a meal.
• In rare cases, patient may cough or wheeze
• There can be severe difficulty in swallowing
• The voice box may get affected due to irritation in the oesophagus resulting in change in voice.
• Soar throat.

Causes of Gastroesophageal reflux disease

The process of digestion starts when a person swallows food. The tongue and throat muscles convert food into circular shapes, soft ball that need to slide down from the throat into the stomach via the oesophagus. Post reaching the stomach, the food is prevented from going back to the oesophagus through a ring of muscle fibres that are known as LES (the lower oesophageal sphincter). In a healthy man, the band of rings is fully functional as result of which it will not travel back, but in people who complain of  Gastroesophageal reflux disease, the band of rings do not function well, as a result of which the food keeps moving back into the oesophagus. In people who have become chronic victims to Gastroesophageal reflux disease, the condition can lead to hiatus hernia.

Some of the other conditions that can lead an individual to this path of suffering are:

• Obesity
• Cigarettes Smoking
• Alcohol Intake

Also, because of the above reason, there are high chances of aggravation when pregnant. During the conceiving period diaphragm tends to be pushed up by the expanding uterus, which in turn boils down to this problem. There are also certain drugs such as beta blockers and calcium channel blockers that are taken by people who are suffering from hypertension, progestin, sedatives, antidepressants and bronchodilators. If a person is suffering from GERD and taking these drugs, he should consult his doctor immediately.

Tests needed for Gastroesophageal reflux disease

In case, if the symptom is not severe, then that person may manage without going for tests and have it treated with medicines given by doctor. There may also be a time when the symptoms may disappear after a period of time on its own.

In case the symptoms are severe or tend to reoccur despite getting treated, then the best thing to do is to get some tests done. These include:

• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy- during this test, a camera attached to a thin tube is inserted in the patient’s mouth and allowed to travel to the stomach till it reaches the small intestine and the contents are observed.
• Patients can be given a ‘barium meal’
• Examining the pH of oesophageal contents
• Oesophageal manometry

Treatment of Gastroesophageal reflux disease

The first step to treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is to avoid food items that can trigger the symptoms. These include avoiding alcohol, caffeine, aerated drinks, and tomatoes in any form, spicy and fatty food and chocolates. There are cases, where regular food can give people heartburn, in such cases, it is best to avoid them too.

Along with that there are certain other precautions that one has to take. These include, avoiding workouts immediately after a meal, avoiding wearing clothes or accessories that are tight around the waist, eating 3 hours before sleep, quitting smoking, practicing portion eating and decreasing mental stress. Some can also choose to have OTC (over the counter) antacids after meals though the effect may wear out after sometime.

If the symptoms persist, despite medications and making changes with lifestyle, then the next lien of action is an anti-reflux operation. Post surgery, the symptoms may improve but there are also higher chances that the person may have to continue with the medications for heart burn and wait for a day he/ she will be free from this problem, if not then there are always other ways which can help in soothing the condition of GERD.

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