Symptoms of Acid Reflux
Acid reflux (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) is a medical condition that causes the contents of the stomach to reflux back up into your esophagus and throat. Although there are many factors that contribute to acid reflux, the main cause is a malfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter or “LES” – the muscular valve that seals the lower ending of the esophagus allowing stomach acids to reach the upper levels of the body. Additional causes of acid reflux are poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle including stress and certain other medical conditions.
Acid reflux can quickly become serious if it’s not treated. The symptoms of acid reflux should be evaluated by your doctor to prevent the development of complications like esophageal inflammation, lesions, damage to the throat, gastro-intestinal disorders, breathing problems and even cancer. Acid reflux or “acid heartburn” as I call it can become chronic and then require ongoing treatment. For some people, surgery may be necessary to reat this condition.
Acid reflux doesn’t just occur in adults. It’s actually very common in infants and young children. With most babies the symptoms of acid reflux disappear eventually. But there are some cases where the condition can linger for years causing serious harm to the gastro-intestinal system and the esophagus. The most common symptoms of acid reflux in infants are spitting, vomiting, coughing, irritability, discomfort when feeding and the presence of blood in their stool. If the condition becomes severe babies can have serious difficulty swallowing, problems breathing, intense pain when feeding and all the other symptoms just mentioned.
Common symptoms of acid reflux in adults are abdominal pain and discomfort (especially after meals), bad breath, bitter taste in the mouth, excessive secretion of saliva and sleeping problems. People with acid reflux can also develop sleep apnea – a sleeping disorder caused by respiratory insufficiency.
Chronic symptoms of acid reflux in adults are: difficulty swallowing, burning and aching in the chest, poor appetite, nausea, blood in vomit and stools, throat inflammation and breathing pain. Acid reflux can cause serious damage to the esophagus due to the constant exposure to stomach gastric acid. Acid reflux can also cause inflammation, swelling and even scarring of the esophageal soft tissue. It is very important to pay attention to the symptoms of acid reflux and act quickly to prevent it from getting this serious. In other words, this is not a condition to ignore. See your doctor and get your symptoms evaluated and treated.
