It is not known when someone becomes prone to any disease due to changing lifestyle, poor diet, and carelessness. Many times people struggle with such a problem, about which they have hardly heard before. One such problem is GERD ie gastroesophageal reflux disease. This problem can happen to anyone. In such a situation, it is necessary to know the treatment of GERD and ways to avoid GERD, the information of which is available here.
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First of all, know what is gastroesophageal reflux disease.
What Is GERD?
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Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a digestive disorder. It is also medically known by the names peptic esophagitis, reflux esophagitis, GERD, dyspepsia GERD. This problem occurs when the elements present in the stomach back up into the esophagus, the food pipe.
Actually, the food we eat reaches the stomach through the esophagus. In some cases, GERD can cause irritation in the esophagus, heartburn, and other symptoms. GERD is a serious and long-lasting condition whose symptoms can cause problems. It can also become serious over time. We will describe those symptoms in detail later.
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Learn more about the causes and risk factors of GERD in the article Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.
Causes and Risk factors of Gerd (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
In the lower esophagus, there is a ring of muscle fibers, which prevents the ingested food from going back up. This muscle fiber is called the lower esophageal sphincter. When this muscle ring does not close properly, GERD can occur. The exact reason why this happens is not known.
A research published on NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) also mentions that the exact cause of GERD is not yet known. Yes, some factors have been considered responsible for this, which is seen as its risk factor.
- Hiatal hernia, a condition in which part of the stomach moves above the diaphragm
- Obesity problem
- Tobacco use
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Pregnancy
- Postprandial supination is the rise and fall of plasma glucose
- Connective tissue disorders i.e. disease related to cells like scleroderma problem etc.
- Certain medications, including anticholinergics, nitroglycerin, calcium channel blockers.
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Read about the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease further in the article.
Symptoms of Gerd (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
The symptoms of GERD are many, which we are going to tell below. These symptoms may be worse when bending down or lying down, after eating, or at night. Come, know about those symptoms
- A stuck feeling of food in the chest
- Heartburn
- Chest pain
- Nausea after eating
- Regurgitation of food
- Cough or wheezing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hiccup
- Hoarseness or change in voice
- Sore throat
- Asthma
- Chronic cough
- Damage to the tooth surface
- Laryngitis, an inflammatory condition caused by irritation or infection
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How to diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Diagnosis of Gerd (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
To diagnose GERD, the doctor can follow the following procedures and may also recommend some special tests.
- Medical History: In most cases, doctors first diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) by reviewing symptoms and medical history.
- Tests: One or more of the following tests may be recommended to diagnose GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) and rule out health problems other than complications.
- Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy – This is a procedure that uses a flexible tube with an endoscope (a camera) to view the lining of the upper GI tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. During this, the investigator removes a layer of small cells from the surface of the food pipe through the endoscope, which is sent to the lab for testing.
- Esophageal pH Monitoring: During esophageal pH monitoring, information related to the patient’s diet, sleep and symptoms is tracked. It is also used to see how diet, sleep, and symptoms relate to acid reflux in the esophagus. To confirm a diagnosis of GERD or find out whether GERD treatments are working, a doctor may recommend this test. Esophageal pH monitoring is the most accurate way to detect stomach acid in the esophagus. There are two types of esophageal pH monitoring –
- Catheter Monitoring – During this the health provider inserts one end of the catheter (a thin, flexible tube) through the nose into the food pipe to measure acid and non-acid reflux.
- Capsule Monitoring – The specialist uses an endoscope to insert a small, wireless capsule into the lining of the esophagus to measure acid reflux.
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In this section, we will give information related to GERD treatment.
Treatment of Gerd (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
Let us now know what doctors can do to treat GERD.
- Lifestyle Changes
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms can be reduced by making lifestyle changes. These changes can be something like this.
- Losing weight and obesity if you are overweight
- Keeping the head elevated while sleeping means using a separate pillow for this
- Quit smoking
- Changes in eating habits such as lying down at night or eating 3 hours before bedtime.
- Including nutritious green vegetables, non-citric fruits, etc. in the diet
- Medicines
While treating GERD, a doctor may suggest H-2 receptor blockers, proton pump inhibitors, or medications that strengthen the muscles in the lower part of the esophagus, which may be helpful in reducing the symptoms of GERD.
- Surgery
If the symptoms of GERD are not relieved even by the above-mentioned procedures and do not want to take the medicine for a long time, then the doctor may recommend one of these three surgeries to treat the GERD depending on the situation. can give advice.
- Fundoplication: Fundoplication is the most common surgery for GERD. In most cases, this has led to an improvement in the symptoms of GERD. During this, the doctor surgically tightens the part from the top of the stomach to the food pipe. This helps prevent reflux. Surgeons can do this as laparoscopic or open surgery.
- Bariatric surgery: If a person is obese along with GERD, doctors may recommend weight-loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery or gastric bypass surgery. Bariatric surgery can help you lose weight and ease GERD symptoms.
- Endoscopy: In many cases, doctors may recommend procedures that use endoscopy to treat GERD. In endoscopy, the doctor inserts a small, flexible tube with a camera through the mouth to the food pipe. Then doctors use endoscopic procedures to sew the top of the stomach around the lower esophageal sphincter or to deliver radiofrequency energy to the sphincter. However, doctors don’t often use these procedures.
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Now know the information related to the diet of GERD.
Diet for Gerd (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
If you want to reduce GERD symptoms, then first of all it is necessary to eat food at least 3 hours before lying down or sleeping at night. Apart from this, there are some foods whose consumption can increase the problem of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Come, know about them.
- Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits and tomatoes
- Liquor
- Chocolate
- Coffee or other caffeinated substances
- High-fat foods
- Mint
- Spicy food
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Now know what can be the measures to avoid GERD.
Prevention Tips for Gerd (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
GERD can be avoided by keeping in mind the measures to avoid GERD mentioned below.
- To avoid GERD, first of all, avoid things that can cause heartburn. This may reduce the symptoms of GERD.
- Obesity is also a factor in GERD. In this case, it is necessary to reduce obesity.
- Maintaining a balanced body weight can also help prevent GERD.
- To avoid GERD, eat at least 3 hours before lying down or sleeping at night.
- To prevent GERD, pay attention to the diet such as avoiding consumption of citrus fruits, pungent, spicy and alcohol, caffeinated substances, etc.
Whether the disease is minor or major negligence, it can become a matter of concern for anyone. If gastroesophageal reflux disease is left untreated, the quality of life can be affected. In such a situation, measures can be adopted to avoid GERD, keeping in mind this problem can be avoided and relief can be given when trouble arises. If you have frequent and severe GERD symptoms, contact your doctor immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions –
Yes, some of the common symptoms of GERD include food return or vomiting (Regurgitation). For this reason, it is said that people with GERD may vomit.
Doctors diagnose GERD on the basis of symptoms of GERD such as the feeling of food stuck in the chest, heartburn or pain in the chest, nausea after eating.
Sun-dried tomatoes contain 39.2 mg of ascorbic (vitamin-C) acid. Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits and tomatoes, are explicitly forbidden in the diet of GERD. In such a situation, tomatoes dried in the sun can increase this problem.
