Making New Year's resolutions is popular after the holidays, but there's one resolution that's especially popular: becoming healthier. Whether it's changing your diet, incorporating exercise into your routine, or both, many people hope to start the new year on a pleasant note after the holiday festivities.
Because, for many people, poor health can lead to painful symptoms, especially when it involves their digestive system. One diagnosis that's common even outside of the holidays is acid reflux. While the severity can range wildly, the origins can start off similarly, and many people only experience acid reflux occasionally. However, it can occur more often, which potentially leads to gastroesophageal reflux disease.
What is gastroesophageal reflux disease?
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is the chronic condition for acid reflux where the contents of your stomach leak back into and potentially damage your esophagus. This is because the contents often include food and the acid used by your body to digest them, thus potentially corroding your esophageal lining.
What are the causes of GERD?
There are many causes, but some of the most common include:
Obesity: obesity can create enough pressure in your abdomen for your stomach contents to push back against the valve called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), causing it to spill into the esophagus and potentially corrode the lining.
Pregnancy: like obesity, the growth of a fetus can create the same pressure in the abdomen. However, hormone changes, such as the increase of relaxin, which relaxes your muscles to provide more space to the fetus, can also cause the LES to relax.
Hiatal Hernia: this is a condition where the stomach can squeeze through your diaphragm and trap acid as it compresses against your esophagus.
Position: if you lie down too soon after you've eaten, your stomach contents can shift and press up against the LES.
Aside from these biological conditions, certain medications can also cause acid reflux because they relax the LES, which can include sedatives for anxiety, calcium channel blockers for high blood pressure, bronchodilators for lung diseases, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like aspirin.
What are the symptoms of GERD?
Regardless of the cause and severity, there are a few common symptoms most times, which include:
Heartburn: one of the most common symptoms where people feel a 'burning' sensation in their chest.
Nausea: buildup of acid and backwash, or the stomach contents regurgitated back into your esophagus, can create a sour taste that makes you nauseous.
Asthma symptoms: sometimes, GERD can trigger coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath like asthma.
Meanwhile, if left untreated, GERD can lead to more dangerous complications, such as:
Esophagitis: a condition where the lining of your esophagus becomes inflamed and might cause ulcers.
Asthma: the long-term accumulation of acid in your bronchial tubes can aggravate them and cause them to constrict, leading to asthma-like symptoms.
Barrett’s Esophagus: a condition where the lining of your esophagus can change to look like intestinal lining, which is a risk factor for esophageal cancer.
How to diagnose GERD
Thankfully, your healthcare provider can help you diagnose and treat GERD. While no testing may be necessary if your symptoms are mild, some common diagnostic exams for more severe symptoms include:
Esophagram: your healthcare provider takes moving x-rays of your esophagus after you swallow a liquid called barium.
Endoscopy: your healthcare provider passes a camera attached to a tube through your mouth to assess your upper esophagus.
How to treat GERD
There are many ways to treat GERD, and your healthcare provider might suggest or prescribe medicine that includes:
Histamine receptor antagonists (H2 blockers): they block histamine, which is the chemical that triggers the production of stomach acid.
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs): can also reduce the production of stomach acid, but with the combined effect of healing the intestinal lining.
Antacids: common over-the-counter medicine that neutralizes stomach acid so it doesn't corrode your esophagus.
Sometimes, more serious interventions are necessary. For example, there's an endoscopic procedure called Nissen fundoplication where your surgeon wraps the top of your stomach around your lower esophagus.
While medicinal and surgical interventions can help, these treatments can be more effective with lifestyle changes that often include losing weight, such as eating less, avoiding foods that might increase acid production, and regular exercise.
Conclusion
Overall, while GERD can lead to a rough beginning into a new year, the potential new year's resolutions you make can help treat, and even prevent these symptoms from reappearing.
Sources
Medline Plus. Gastroesophageal reflux disease. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000265.htm
NIH. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Acid Reflux (GER & GERD) in Adults. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/acid-reflux-ger-gerd-adults
Mayo Clinic. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/symptoms-causes/syc-20361940
Cleveland Clinic. Acid Reflux & GERD. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17019-acid-reflux-gerd Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board