Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease, or GORD as known in medical terms, is a condition where the acid from human stomach flows back into his esophagus, which is a tube that connects your throat with your stomach. This is known as acid reflux. It is a chronic condition with recurring episodes throughout one’s life.
GORD causes indigestion as well as heartburns.

Symptoms

GORD is characterized by two major symptoms:

• heartburn rising from your stomach and moving to your chest and throat
• backflow of gastric acid into the mouth and throat, causing a sour taste

Causes

GORD occurs due to no specific reason. The lower esophageal muscle situated at the end of human stomach may be weak, which can the back flow of gastric acid into the mouth. If there is high pressure in one’s stomach or if the stomach takes more time to dispose the gastric acid, it can result in GORD.

The other conditions which can lead to GORD are:

• Obesity
• Diet of high fatty foods
• Usage of tobacco, alcohol, chocolate and coffee
• Intake of certain medications for calcium channel blocker, anticholinergics and benzodiazepines.
• Pregnancy
• Hiatus hernia
• Stress

Diagnosis

Usually GORD is diagnosed by the doctor by analyzing the symptomatic conditions told by the patient. Usually no further testing is done. But in certain cases endoscopy is performed, by sedating the patients to relax, for confirming the disease.

Treatment

Self care techniques used:

• Losing weight in obese conditions reduce the severity of symptoms.
• Quit smoking if you are a regular smoker..
• Eat small frequent meals.

  Know the triggers of GORD and try avoiding them.

• Keep your head raised while sleeping.
• Consult a doctor before taking any medications.

Over-the-counter drugs

Over-the-counter drugs such as antacids help in neutralizing the effects of gastric acid, but care must be taken while using antacids with other medications as it can have negative effects.

Alginates can be used as alternatives to antacids. These produce a protective coat that acts as a shield against the effect of acid on the lining of your stomach and esophagus.

Proton-pump Inhibitors

Proton-pump Inhibitors are used in case if self care techniques and OTC drugs fail. The PPIs need to be used for one month. It reduces the amount of acid produced by the stomach. It causes side effects such as headaches, nausea, abdominal pain or even diarrhea.

H2-receptor antagonists

H2-receptor antagonists, an alternative to the PPIs or along with PPIs, are used for a short term. The chemical histamine used by our body to produce gastric acid is blocked by the H2Ras. This leads to reduction in stomach acids. The side effects include headaches, diarrhea, dizziness, rashes and tiredness.

Prokinetics

Prokinetics are used only when the symptoms are severe and are not responding to any other medications. Prokinetics are not recommended d=for people under 20 years, pregnant and breastfeeding women, Side effects include muscle spasms, not able to open mouth completely, slurred speech, sticking out your tongue and changes in body posture.