Essay on Acid in the Stomach

Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), commonly known as Acid Reflux, is a disease that is now affecting a lot of teenagers over the world. GERD is a heartburn caused by a leaky valve at the base of your esophagus that allows stomach acid to regurgitate (Livestrong). GERD is also caused by a bacteria found in your stomach known as Helicobacter Pylori. H. Pylori attacks the lining of your stomach and later when it has done enough damage, acidic fluid is able to get through the lining and into your esophagus, causing a heartburn (WebMD). Most people do acquire h. pylori during their childhood but most only develop its symptoms later on in life and some are never affected by the bacteria, never developing any symptoms.

GERD is known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. It is best defined as a back flow of gastric or duodenal contents or both into the esophagus and past the lower esophageal sphincter. It can cause acute epigastric pain (heartburn). The pathophysiology of GERD is multifactorial, involving transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations and other lower esophageal sphincter pressure abnormalities. As a result, reflux of acid, bile, pepsin and pancreatic enzymes occur, leading to esophageal mucosal injury (Gastroesophageal Reflux disease, long-term care, 2017). The degree of mucosal injury is based on the amount and concentration of refluxed gastric acid, proteolytic enzymes and bile acids. Due to the lower esophageal sphincter being dysfunctional, the esophageal motility is slowed, leading to decreased clearance of acidic material.

Helicobacter pylori, also known as H. pylori, is a spiral bacterium that lives inside the human stomach. H. pylori likes the acidic environment that the stomach provides and evidence has linked it to a variety of minor gastrointestinal illnesses. H. pylori causes inflammation in the lining of the stomach and is involved in 90% of stomach and intestinal ulcers. H. pylori also has an apparent cause to the development of adenocarcinoma, a common stomach cancer. J. Robin Warren first detected H. pylori in the stomachs of ulcer patients in 1979. Warren then isolated the microbe in a culture and tested it effects by swallowing some of the inoculum. A short-term case of gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the

Helicobacter pylori weaken the gastric layer, predispose the stomach to infection which can lead to achlorhydria. “The classic symptoms of GERD are heartburn, acid regurgitation, dysphagia, and belching”( over time cause narrowing and strictures. A person can experience reflux one hour after eating high fatty undigested meals, smoking (nicotine) and alcohol drinking, sore throat and asthma. Pressure on the diaphragm from pregnancy and obesity in male and female increases intra-abdominal pressure exposing the individual to reflux and heartburn. GERD can occur in infants, elderly, and at any age in between. Patient can take antacid (Tums) to neutralize the acidity, H2 blocker (cimetidine, famotidine, or ranitidine) decrease acid production in the stomach and Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) inhibit acid production from gastric parietal cells. Others treatment, Endoscopy of esophagus or stomach, to obtain a biopsies for (precancerous cells), pH monitoring rule out H. pylori infection, looking for edema, erosion, and bleeding. If blood loss is low, replace with

When this happens there is a low plasma bicarbonate (HCO3-) concentration due to the loss of storage or renal tubular wasting and an increase in chloride concentration. Respiratory acidosis on the other hand develops when a patient has an increased amount of carbon dioxide that cannot be expelled through regular breathing (Wisse, 2013). Within the classification of metabolic acidosis there are several sub-classifications: Diabetic acidosis, Lactic acidosis, hyperchloremic acidosis and a number of other contributing causes such as severe dehydration, poisoning: by aspirin, ethylene glycol or methanol or renal disease/failure (Wisse, 2013).

Glycolic acid is mostly used in cosmetic forms rather than industrial. It is usually used as a skin exfoliant and a moisturizer. Some proponents of glycolic acid state that the products which contain less than 10% concentration of glycolic acid is rendered useless. The government considers the use of glycolic acid over the 10% concentration can prove to be a dangerous material and this is

Venous blood gas were drawn on this patient during her stay at the PICU, her gases were as followed: pH: 7.28, PaO2: 30.0, PaCO2: 33.0, HCO3: 15.0, Lactate: 19. This blood gas indicated partially compensated metabolic acidosis with mild

Acidosis has many negative effects such as weight loss, bone loss, and fatigue, with some of those symptoms aligning with patients with

People who often experience a combination of gas, bloating, and other stomach problems may have a condition called Leaky Gut Syndrome. Leaky Gut Syndrome is a term that is used in the medical community as an indication that someone is experiencing frequent stomach problems, but the cause of those problems is unknown. Because the medical community knows little about how the gut works, the phrase “Leaky Gut Syndrome” is used to refer to the complications that people experience in their digestive system in a way that the cause of those problems is not definitive. The lack of data means this turns out to be a guessing game for the doctor who is face to face with a patient who has “Leaky Gut Syndrome”. Although there is a lack of evidence surrounding the condition, there are a few idea’s in the medical

In the past it was believed that gastric ulcers were caused by life style modifiable risk factors. The biggest culprit now is Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). H. Pyloris is a bacterium commonly found in the gut. The bacteria breaks down the lining of the stomach. Then the stomach acid further breaks down the lining which causes the ulcer. This is the reason, unless contraindicated, most patient receives either a Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonist or a proton pump inhibitor in the hospital. The GI symptoms that are present with gastric ulcers would decrease the appetite of the patient. Therefore the patient would encounter a digestion problem.

Common causes of high anion gap metabolic acidosis (HAGMA) include diabetic ketoacidosis, lactic acidosis, renal failure and toxic ingestions of salicylates, ethylene glycol, methanol and propyl glycol. Pyroglutamic acidosis or 5 oxoprolinuria is an established but often underdiagnosed cause of HAGMA.

Gastroparesis is a digestive disorder in which the motility of the stomach is either abnormal or absent. "Gastro" means stomach and "paresis" means weakness. Gastroparesis is a weak stomach. This condition is very common. It can be the cause of a number of abdominal complaints. It is usually not a serious problem and there are effective treatments available.

The stomach is an expandable muscular sac that is capable of holding 2-4 liters of food and liquids and breaks them down with the use of pepsinogen, an inactive form pepsin, a protein-digesting enzyme. If the stomach was damaged or dysfunctional, then it would be harder to gradually release food into the small intestine at a rate suitable for proper digestion and absorption and to digest the food because it is not as small or digested because the stomach also assists in the mechanical and chemical breakdown of the food as well as the killing of harmful bacteria due to the high acidic environment due to the hydrochloric acid. (Audesirk, T., & Audesirk, G. (1999). Retrieved November 21, 2015 from Chapter 29: Nutrition and Digestion. In Biology:

The lack of intrinsic factor in the stomach leads to a vitamin B-12 deficiency. Vitamin B-12 is necessary for production of normal, healthy red blood cells. Without B-12, red blood cells become to large(macrocytic) and do not carry enough oxygen to supply the body. Without enough oxygen the body can not function normally and a person is said to be anemic (Pernicious Anemia, n.d.).

     In this article, you are informed about a disease that is occurring more often in our society. It is commonly referred to as “heartburn” but is more appropriately named acid reflux disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Most people suffer from this disease, but think nothing of it. Perhaps they have felt it after a big meal, lying down after eating, during pregnancy, or even when bending over. Most people feel that GERD occurs after eating spicy foods, when in fact the major cause of GERD is fatty foods and the quantity of foods eaten.