Acid reflux information
Acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a complaint whereby the acidic contents of the stomach are ejected into the oesophagus. The contents of the stomach often contain strong enzymes such as Pepsin, and the acids which are used to break down food. With acid reflux, this noxious mixture is brought back up, and can cause serious damage to oesophagus in some rare cases.
Once a patient feels the onset of GERD, he is likely to suffer from it for the rest of his life, as GERD is a chronic condition. If the oesophagus has also been damaged, this will require a programme of ongoing treatment to ensure the discomfort it causes will not return.
Acid reflux is actually a process which most people will feel fairly regularly. The different between every day acid reflux, and that of GERD patients is the acidity of the reflux as well as the duration for which it remains in the oesophagus. The body has an in-built defence mechanism against acid reflux. As most instances of reflux occur during waking hours when patients are sitting or standing up, the reflux is pulled back into the stomach by the forces of gravity to minimise pain and discomfort. Furthermore, during waking hours people continually swallow saliva, which helps to drive any reflux back down into the stomach. [Read More...]
Acid reflux articles
Complications of acid reflux disease As with any medical condition, there are potential complications which could add further weight to your problem. It is important if you think you are suffering from the symptoms of acid reflux, or if you are experiencing any unexplained adverse symptoms...
Evaluation of GERD There are a number of ways in which the symptoms of GERD and the patients' specific complaint can be monitored and evaluated. This is beneficial as a means of getting to the route of the actual cause of the GERD after diagnosis...
GERD in babies Not only can acid reflux, or GERD, affect the adult population, it can also affect babies and young children, and carries the same levels of pain and discomfort we, as adults, have to put up with.
What is acid reflux disease? Acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a complaint whereby the acidic contents of the stomach are ejected into the oesophagus. The contents of the stomach often contain strong enzymes such as Pepsin
How is GERD diagnosed? The diagnosis of GERD is, like with most conditions, a complex procedure. There are a variety of accepted methods for diagnosing the condition, although care must always be taken to ensure that the GERD is the reall issue to hand...
Living with and managing GERD GERD is a condition which has a negative impact on thousands of patients diagnosed with the condition each year. Fortunately, there are a number of ways in which one can manage the condition to make life that bit easier...
Main causes of acid reflux The causes of GERD are not straightforward. In many cases, there may be several causes contributing to the problem. In some patients it will be to do with over-production of acid, although this is relatively rare.
Surgery for GERD There are a variety of treatments and medications suitable for dealing with GERD. Along with lifestyle changes and anti-acidic medications, a possible alternative to the more simple treatments for the symptoms of GERD is surgery.
Future developments for GERD Although today the medical profession is more knowledgeable than ever about the causes and treatments that really work for patients suffering from acid reflux, there are still some issues which need to be addressed.
Treatments for GERD GERD is a chronic condition which can lead to a great deal of discomfort for the sufferer. There are many ways in which the levels of pain, or the symptoms can be dampened which can improve the sufferer's quality of life...
Acid reflux news on the Web
Precancerous Condition Associated With Reflux Disease Triggered By Bile - Not Acid For many people with gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, acid reflux drugs are the answer to their woes, curbing the chronic heartburn and regurgitation of food or sour liquid characteristic of the disorder. But when it comes to Barrett's esophagus, a condition commonly found in people with GERD, acid control may be less important than beating back another bodily fluid - bile... |
New GERD Device Offered At Mayo Clinic A new device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition that can lead to serious health problems, will soon be available at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. The device will be offered to patients taking medication for the condition, who continue to have chronic reflux symptoms. The device was approved to treat GERD (also known as acid reflux disease) on March 22 by the U.S... |
Acid Reflux 50% More Common Than Ten Years Ago A long-term Norwegian study reveals the number of people who experience acid reflux at least once a week has gone up by nearly 50% in the last 10 years, with women appearing to be more susceptible to the condition than men... |
Prescribing Acid-Suppressing Drugs To Infants Frequent spitting up, irritability, and unexplained crying in infants can be very distressing to parents. Pediatricians often prescribe acid-suppressing drugs for these symptoms in an effort to treat infants for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); however, GERD is an uncommon cause of these symptoms in otherwise thriving infants... |
Prescribing Of Acid-suppressing Medication For Infants Rises Considerably Infants who are frequently spitting up, irritable, and cry for unknown reasons can be extremely worrying for parents. The infants are often prescribed with acid-suppressing drugs by their pediatricians in an attempt to treat them for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) but in otherwise thriving infants GERD is not a common cause of these symptoms... |
Acid-Suppressing Drugs Being Over Prescribed In Infants Frequent spitting up, irritability and unexplained crying in infants are often very distressing to parents. Physicians frequently prescribe acid-suppressing drugs for these symptoms. However, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is an uncommon cause of these symptoms in otherwise thriving infants, and in his Commentary published in the October 20th issue of The Journal of Pediatrics, Dr... |
GERD Treatments, Benefits And Risks - New Report New plain-language reports compare the risks and benefits of therapies for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a digestive condition that affects millions of individuals in the U.S., and can be treated with medications or surgery. The reports are from the U.S... |
Proton Pump Inhibitors Should Have Black-box Warnings, Group Tell FDA Withdrawal from PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) can lead to severe rebound acid secretion, a complication that can force users to become dependent on them - this should be mentioned in a black-box warning, consumer group Public Citizen has told the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)... |
Leftover Embryonic Cells Connect Gastric Reflux And Cancer The ultimate source of some cancers is embryonic cells. Research published in the June 24th Cell, a Cell Press publication, traces the precursor of deadly esophageal cancers to leftover embryonic cells found in all adults. Some people with gastric reflux disease have a greater risk of developing esophageal cancer... |
Homing In On Genetic Signature Of Esophageal Cancer University of Rochester Medical Center researchers have pinpointed two genes that are amplified in the worst cases of esophageal cancer, providing data to support a new investigational treatment that targets those same genes. The study, led by Tony Godfrey, Ph.D., a research associate professor of Surgery at the James P... |
News From The Annals Of Family Medicine, May/June Acid-Suppressing Proton Pump Inhibitors Associated with Fracture Risk A meta-analysis of previous research into an unintended effect of acid suppression medications - some of the most widely used medications in the world - finds evidence that long-term use of proton pump inhibitors, but not H2-receptor antagonists, is associated with increased risk of fracture... |
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