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What Is Acid Reflux Disease?
By Jeff Lakie, Thu Dec 8th
Acid reflux disease, also known as Gastro-esophageal RefluxDisease, or GERD, is a common ailment, affecting between 5%-7%of the population. In order to understand what GERD is it isimportant to be familiar with how the esophagus works. A longmuscular tube, the esophagus carries food and liquid from themouth to the stomach. The average adult esophagus is around tento thirteen inches long and approximately an half an inch indiameter. GERD is caused by the backflow of acid from thestomach into the esophagus, usually because the lower esophagealsphincter does not close properly. When this happens over a longperiod of time, the lining of this tract becomes eroded, causingdiscomfort and pain. Symptoms of the disease are fairly straightforward and are verysimilar to the symptoms of heartburn. GERD often include afrequent burning sensation, right behind the breastbone, whichsometimes worsens when lying down for extended periods of time.While most cases of heartburn turn out to be non-lifethreatening, it is important that you visit your doctor at theonset of symptoms. Unfortunately, the symptoms of bothindigestion and GERD can also imitate
those of heart disease, soit is very important that you seek medical attention to makesure that you get the correct diagnosis. There are a number of medical tests which your doctor canperform which will confirm the diagnosis of GERD. After yourdoctor or healthcare professional has taken your medicalhistory, he or she will most likely conduct an test using anEndoscope, a long flexible imaging instrument. This will allowthe doctor to visibly exam your esophagus. If you are diagnosedwith disease, there are a number of treatmentoptions available to you, such as making changes to your diet,reducing stress, and taking over the counter antacids. Seriouscases of GERD may require a prescription drug to reduce the acidbeing produced by your stomach, but lifestyle changes are oftenenough to control symptoms successfully.
About the author:Jeff Lakie is the owner of OccasionalHeartburn, a website dedicated to matching consumers withacid reflux help.
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