Gastroesophageal reflux disease is characterized by a variety of symptoms, including the common “heartburn” and acid regurgitation, as well as the not so common chest pain (unrelated to the heart), chronic cough, hoarseness, and throat irritation. It is more familiarly known as GERD and is one of the most common chronic and rapidly growing diseases of today; yet, the underlying cause is still unclear. There seem to be many different theories on what causes GERD, but the most common treatment is the Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI). My mother has taken different PPIs for over a decade now to help control her GERD symptoms, but why? PPI’s are drugs that act on the proton (gastric) pump to inhibit secretions that would naturally lower the pH of stomach …show more content…
The hiatus hernia can be attributed to obesity and an excess of adipose tissue that can create pressure in the esophagogastric region, redirecting the digestive tract. A sac like distention can be formed from the hiatus hernia that holds gastric acid. The acid trapped above the sphincter that would be ordinarily closed to keep gastric acid contained inside the stomach travels back up the esophagus much easier in combination with damage to the diaphragm resulting in acid reflux. Damaging the diaphragm leads to an additional set of problems, primarily affecting the respiratory system; but back to the digestive system. Acid pocket is another term referring to the sac created by the hiatus hernia holding stomach acid. Studies reported that the acid reflux was worse after meals, which makes sense because the body is functioning to digest the food with the acidic digestive enzymes. The size of the acid pocket was reduced in GERD patients using proton pump inhibitors. But with the same use of PPIs especially after prolonged use the digestive system can completely change its ability to breakdown food properly causing a new set of
Antacids are medicines that can be bought over-the-counter which are taken by mouth and can help to quickly relieve acidic refluxes in the body.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antacid The major symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), are taste of acid, bad breath, chest pains, etc. GERD is a long term condition where stomach contents come back up into the esophagus. Complications include esophageal strictures and Barrett’s esophagus.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_reflux_disease An Esophageal Stricture is a narrowing or tightening of the esophagus that causes swallowing difficulties.
• Lose weight. Excess weight increases pressure on the stomach and helps push acid in to the esophagus.
When suffering from GERD, it is important to know how to adjust in order to decrease the likelihood from suffering from signs and symptoms of this disease. A person with GERD should try to figure out what kind of food triggers the reflux. There are many foods that may irritate our stomach, for example, coffee, alcohols, tomatoes, and fatty foods, however, each and every one of us may be sensitive for a particular food/beverage and once we find out what it is we have to eliminate it. It is also crucial to decrease the size of our meal. If we are prone to acid reflux, it is important that we don’t lie flat for three hours after we have eaten a meal or snack.
GERD is a condition caused by stomach acid or stomach content coming up from the stomach into the esophagus. This backwash causes irritation in the esophagus, as the stomach acid damages the esophageal lining. Most cases of GERD occur in infants and adults. For infants, the most common cause of GERD is due to pyloric stenosis, a condition that affects the gastrointestinal tract as it narrows the pylorus. This causes food to flow backward as it cannot make its way to the stomach, thus causing the baby to vomit. In adults, the most common cause of
GERD disease, commonly referred to as GERD or acid reflux, is a condition in which the liquid content of the stomach regurgitates (backs up or refluxes) into the esophagus. The liquid can inflame and damage the lining (esophagitis) although visible signs of inflammation occur in a minority of patients. The regurgitated liquid usually contains acid and pepsin that are produced by the stomach. (Pepsin is an enzyme that begins the digestion of proteins in the stomach.) The refluxed liquid also may contain bile that has backed-up into the stomach from the duodenum. The first part of the small intestine attached to the stomach. Acid is believed to be the most injurious component of the refluxed liquid.
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.
Commonly known as heartburn or reflux, is a condition where reflux of the gastric content into the oesophagus leads to symptoms which significantly impact a person's quality of life. Gastroesophageal reflux disease gerd is the most prevalent acid related disorder and is associated with significant impairment of health-related quality of life. Gastroesophageal reflux disease gerd occurs when acid and food in the stomach back up into the esophagus.Gerd often occurs when the lower muscle (sphincter) of the esophagus does not close properly. The sphincter normally opens to let food into the stomach. It then closes to keep food and stomach acid in the stomach. If the sphincter does not close properly, stomach acid and food back up (reflux) into the esophagus. The following may increase your risk for gerd. Gerd may be associated with several extra esophageal syndromes such as chronic cough, asthma, laryngitis, oropharyngeal ulceration and dental erosions. Available evidence indicates that therapy response rates in gerd are related to the degree of acid suppression achieved. Having an appropriate discussion with a physician is key to understanding the condition, available treatment options and the degree to which acid suppression can be achieved.
Lifestyle changes are important factor in combating GERD. Loss of weight, avoidance of the foods causing the reflux, and staying upright for several hours after eating can all aid in preventing or minimizing the reflux. Antacids can assist in the treatment of occasional heartburn but will not help GERD. The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) diminish the daily will diminish the reflux and allow healing of the esophagus (Collins, 2018). RLZ is on the PPI, Prilosec. He has not opted to change his alcohol consumption nor diet food choses at this time. He does remain upright for several hours after the meal of the day prior to retiring for the evening.
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.
Gastroesophageal reflux is considered a normal physiological process in healthy infants, children and adults. Most episodes last less that 3 minutes and most occur 30-60 min after meals and with reclining positions. GERD is present when the symptoms, more than twice a week, cause troublesome symptoms or complication (Cash, 2011, pp. 200). These complications can occur with severe, frequent, and persistent acid reflux causing inflammation, ulcers, and scarring. GERD can also lead to changes in the cells lining the esophagus, known as Barrett's esophagus, these changes raise the risk of esophageal cancer.
The last test that can be given to diagnose GERD is a test to measure the movement of the esophagus (esophageal motility testing) it measures the movement and pressure in the esophagus. Surgery may be used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms that have not been well controlled by medicines. It may be an option when medicines do not completely relieve symptoms, when a person is not capable of taking medicines, when such problems like asthma, coughing hoarseness, or reflux itself does not improve. Some types of surgeries include: fundoplication - the most common surgery used to treat GERDs, esophagus and stomach - to keep acid from backing up into the esophagus as easily, partial fundoplication - wrapping of the stomach halfway, full fundoplication - wrapping the stomach all around the esophagus so that it completely encircles it, Gastropexy - attaches the stomach to the diaphragm so that the stomach cannot move through the opening in the diaphragm into the chest. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a chronic condition and is a lifetime disease. Treatment includes taking prescribed medications as instructed, avoiding spicy and fatty
While antacids are used largely by the general public, there are no studies showing that they help or are effective in treating GERD. They are simply mechanisms to treat symptoms of a larger problem. PPI are the most effective for the treatment of GERD. The medication is orally administered as an inactive counter-part. It is converted to the active form by parietal cells in the stomach. Once active the drug causes irreversible deactivation of the enzyme that generates gastric acid. Because the deactivation is irreversible, the decrease is acid is effective until more enzyme can be produced. The goal for PPIs is to reduce stomack acid and to prevent stomach ulcer and further exacerbation of esophagitis. The medication may cause headache, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting thought the incidence of occurrence is very low. PPIs do increase the likely hood of the development of pneumonia due to the altered GI flora. Another major adverse effect is the rebound hypersecretion of acid. Patients who discontinue taking PPIs may experience dyspepsia due to acid rebound. This can be minimized by using the lowest dose and tapering the medication. Histamine receptor antagonists, though indicated for the treatment of GERD are not as effective at decrease stomach acid. PPI can decrease acid content by 90% whereas H2RAs only decrease by 65%. The medication works by blocking H2 receptors on parietal cells in the
With his diagnosis of GERD, the clinician will advise the patient to take a PPI once a day in the morning. Prilosec OTC would be a good starting point for the control of his discomfort. She would instruct the patient to take this medication first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything. The following is an example schedule of how the patient could take his medications. It includes all recommended medications for CAD, HTN, GERD, and COPD. The original excel spreadsheet will be attached as a separate document for easier viewing.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a common digestive disease that affects the esophagus when stomach acid flows backwards causing discomfort. Many people seem to experience this digestive disease from time to time. There are plenty of symptoms for gastroesophageal reflux disease. For instance, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause poor quality of sleep and a variety of sleep disturbances such heartburns, vomiting, or hoarseness in adults. This is when swellness becomes a big issue with the throat and cause the individual to have a difficult time swallowing.
But if the stomach does not reach the proper level of acidity the LES stays open which means stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus.