GERD Symptoms

The dangers of GERD

Mar 20, 2009 Jennifer Marsh

There so much hype about GERD symptoms, but what are they?

Have you ever had an unbearably painful and shooting pain in your chest? You may have early GERD symptoms that need to be treated. Most GERD patients misinterpret their symptoms for heartburn. Heartburn is categorized as one of those symptoms that radiates from the middle chest, and it can be an extremely painful ordeal. GERD symptoms occur after the following:

Eating a heavy meal
Bending over
Lying on the back

For most patients, the burning, unbearable heartburn that accompanies GERD disorders happens at night. It may happen in the middle of the night waking you up to considerable pain in the chest area. Patients sometimes misinterpret their pain as a heart attack since it’s described as shooting needles located in the chest area.

The most notable concern of most GERD symptoms is the possibility of affecting the esophagus. Acid reflux is a result of the esophagus smooth muscle pushing down on the swallowed food too strongly into the stomach. As it relaxes after food has been sent to the stomach, the increased contractions release and suck stomach acid into the stomach. This causes the painful GERD symptoms that many patients suffer.

Regurgitation may happen after food has incited production of acid in the stomach. Common GERD symptoms include the regurgitation of stomach acid into the esophagus or even as far as the mouth. This particular occurrence may seem less severe, but the acid that accumulates in the esophagus and mouth can result in severe erosion of the smooth muscle and the enamel on the teeth.

Some mild GERD symptoms include acid laryngitis, persistent hiccups, chronic sore throat, and difficulty swallowing. When acid shoots back up into the esophagus, it causes several adverse reactions ultimately degrading the soft tissue in the esophagus that is responsible for pushing food into the stomach. The most severe is the damage that can be done by the stomach. Acid in the stomach has an extremely low pH and causes irreversible damage to the esophagus making it hard to swallow. Because of the acidic damage, many GERD symptoms include difficulty in swallowing. It causes patients to choke and have intense chest pains while eating.

If you have any of these GERD symptoms, contact your local physician for an examination. GERD sufferers find that certain medications can alleviate a lot of the GERD symptoms that make in difficult to eat and sleep. Taking an anti-acid neutralizes stomach acid. For temporary relief, calcium or anti-acids will neutralize acid in your stomach ridding you of pain.

References: http://www.healthcentral.com/acid-reflux/introduction-000085_4-145.html

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