acid reflux

The symptoms of acid reflux are often not severe and serious; however, when they attack, they can cause pain and discomfort. GERD or more commonly known as acid reflux is a condition that takes place when the tube used in the transport of food to the stomach from the throat isn’t strong enough to handle the acid, produced, stored, and used by the stomach to digest the food we eat. The stomach walls are originally built with enough strength to handle production and storage of acid without damaging any part of the system.

For unknown reasons, heartburn, one of the most common symptoms of acid reflux, occurs when the acid flows back into the esophagus from the stomach. This condition leaves a constant burning sensation in the chest. These symptoms of acid reflux occur to everyone once in a while; however, when it regularly happens around 2 to 3 times a week without any visible relief even after taking some medications, then you must have GERD or acid reflux. Changes in diet can provide you relief from the attack of symptoms of acid reflux. In cases of recurrence, medical attention may be necessary.

The symptoms of acid reflux are experienced when the lower oeasophageal sphinter fails to block or stop the acid from flowing back from the stomach to the esophagus. When this occurs, the chest experiences burning sensation and pain. This condition is called heartburn.

Other symptoms of acid reflux include:

1. Burning Sensation or Pain in the Chest - this burning sensation or pain is first felt at the sternum or from behind the breastbone and may radiate up to the throat. This condition is usually experienced shortly after eating. It can last for as short as a few minutes or as long as several hours.

2. Sour or bitter taste in the mouth – a person will have a sour or bitter taste in the mouth when the stomach contents are pushed back to the esophagus and to the back of the throat.

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. Coughing – research shows that GERD accounted for almost 40% of cases of chronic cough in patients who do not smoke. Coughing occurs when the stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus and is inhaled.

5. Asthma-related symptoms - these are considered as some of the most common symptoms of acid reflux because more than half of asthmatic people are also said to have been diagnosed with GERD, which causes asthma-related symptoms to occur when the food that flowed back to the esophagus is inhaled into the lungs and airways.