Though often not so serious, the symptoms of acid reflux can be painful and uncomfortable. Acid reflux or GERD occurs when the tube used to take in the food from the throat to the stomach could not handle the acid. The stomach digests the food we eat with the help of the acid it produces and stores. The walls around the stomach are supposed to be strong enough to produce and store the acid without causing any damage.
Heartburn is one of the most common and very first symptoms of acid reflux. It occurs when there is a flow back of acid from the stomach to the esophagus, thereby leaving a constant chest pain and burning sensation. Everyone may experience symptoms of acid reflux once in a while; however, when it becomes so frequent like you experience them 2 times or even 3 times a week without any relief even after medications, you must be suffering from acid reflux or GERD. Diet changes can help you prevent symptoms of acid reflux; however, it the symptoms reoccur even if necessary diet changes have been made, you may need to consult your doctor right away.
The symptoms of acid reflux are mainly caused by the failure of the lower oeasophageal sphinter to function at inappropriate times; thus, it becomes unable to block the flow back of acid into the esophagus. The flow back of stomach acid into the esophagus causes severe heartburn right in the chest.
Other symptoms of acid reflux include:
1. Chest Pain or Burning Sensation in the Chest – starting from the sternum or from behind the breast bone, the pain or burning sensation may run up and be felt at the throat. People often experience this symptom after they eat a meal. The pain may stay for a few minutes to a couple of hours.
2. Bitter or sour taste in the mouth – this condition occurs when the contents of the stomach reflux up to the esophagus and at the back of the throat. When the contents reach the throat’s back, you have a bitter or sour taste in your mouth.
3. Dysphagia – also known as difficulty with swallowing occurs when the food could not normally pass to the stomach through the esophagus from the throat. You are experiencing dysphagia if you feel like the food you eat could not pass through the throat, you feel like you are about to choke, you have burning sensation after eating, or chest pressure. Dysphagia is one of the known symptoms of acid reflux but it is also a known symptom of esophagitis and esophageal cancer. Therefore, it is important to seek medical help when you always experience dysphagia.
4. Chronic cases of coughing – do you known that 40% of chronic cases of coughing in non-smoking patients are due to GERD or acid reflux? Coughing is the result of the stomach acid being refluxed back into the esophagus and is inhaled or aspirated.
5. Asthma-related symptoms like wheezing – being one of the most common symptoms of acid reflux, it has been studied that 60% of people with asthma also have acid reflux, which can cause wheezing and other asthma-related symptoms when the stomach acid refluxed into the esophagus is aspirated into the airways and lungs. This makes it hard for a person to breathe. As a result, the person tends to wheeze and cough.
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