Defined as chronic symptoms made by the abnormal reflux of the gastric contents into the esophagus, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, is a disease that is not pleasant to have. Commonly due to changes in the barrier that lays between the esophagus and the somatch, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, can also be due to the lack of knowledge by the LES, or associated with a hital hernia.
Gastric regurgitation is a by product of this process that results in retrograde flow into the mouth or pharynx. The acid that will become present in the esophagus is what causes the burning discomfort inside our chest, which we know as heart burn.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease can be spotted by:
- chronic chest pain
- difficulty swallowing
- inflammatory changes in the esophageal lining
In many cases of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease patients may only be affected by one of the above symptoms but will still be affected with the disease. There are several general symptoms which can also lead to the finding of the disease:
- changes of the voice
- cough
- sinusitis
- hoarseness
- chronic ear ache
The most common of all the symptoms is heartburn, which is something that we see widespread in the media, with advertising for various products that are meant to control heartburn. Heartburn is a discomforting pain, as it is a burning sensation inside the chest that comes upward towards the mouth as a result of acidic contents from the stomacch moving into the esophagus.