Acid Reflux Disease Could Lead To Severe Complications If Left Unattended
There are times that after a splurge on a large pizzas and a couple of beer mugs, with you get this burning sensation in your chest and throat. You got heartburn, a sign of acid reflux disease. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD is commonly referred to as acid reflux or heartburn (which is actually its symptom). This affliction attacks almost everyone regardless of age and gender. In fact, as you are reading this now, millions of Americans are suffering heartburn or several other symptoms of acid reflux disease.
GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs to millions of Americans as a chronic condition that some even suffer this attack at an average of three times a week, while some have it almost daily. Symptoms of acid reflux disease could differ from one sufferer to another while others do not even know they are having it. There is this interesting article that wrote about cases where the patient was totally clueless about his condition until his dentist told him about it. What gave his dentist the idea was the way the patient’s teeth erode due to acid that were apparently refluxed or regurgitated from his stomach.
While some would say that the patient in the above case is luckier he does not have to suffer the discomfort and pain associated with heartburn, the clueless patient may be more susceptible to a later surprise of more severe complications. Remember, detection is important as the first step towards resolving a problem or ailment. Chronic acid reflux disease that goes on for more than four years could lead to severe complications.
The sensitive cells lining the esophagus could be irritated and damaged due to constant exposure to stomach acid that flows back from the stomach. Failure to detect and resolve this condition could lead to a more serious problem that could become a precursor to cancer.
There are a lot of factors and triggers that lead to the development of acid reflux disease. This includes physiological conditions like hiatal hernia, inability of the stomach to empty itself, etc. One of the primary triggers of a heartburn episode is the foods ingested. For several reasons, some people are just more sensitive to acidic foods that after eating them, heartburn occurs. Alcoholic and carbonated beverages, spicy foods and foods with high fat content are also major triggers of heartburn.
There are a lot of talks about stress contributing to the development of acid reflux disease by it has not been really directly linked to it in purely medical terms. However, stress is usually ascribed to as a secondary factor in the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The best way to fully ascertain your triggers is to try to maintain a dairy diary of what you ate, what you did, etc. and along the same row, you can indicate if you had an episode of heartburn. Better yet, discuss this plan with your doctor who would be more than glad to help you better understand your acid reflux disease.
More information, tips and resources are available about acid reflux disease at http://www.TheAcidRefluxOnline.com
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