GERD and Others

I only briefly talked about what GERD was in my Acid reflux blog post and now I’m doing that. I promised to explain more about it, but I also want to include some other conditions that are similar to GERD and Acid reflux.

I hope I don’t get you too confused because that’s not my intent.

Okay, I said in the post about Acid reflux that GERD or Gastroesophageal reflux disease happens when people get the symptoms of reflux every day. There is no one cause of GERD, but the main one is when stomach acid comes up to the esophagus.

The normal symptoms of GERD are heartburn, regurgitation and nausea. The more complex symptoms is developing Barrett’s esophagus, having a cough, an inflammation in the throat and lungs and fluid inside your ear.

Barrett’s esophagus only happens if GERD becomes chronic. The lining of the esophagus starts developing a new tissue that is similar to the lining in the intestines. There is still no knowledge of why this happens and there is varies treatments to this condition.

The symptoms are about the same like GERD: heartburn, having a hard time swallowing food and pain in the chest.  

Another disorder that is connected to GERD is Esophagitis, an infection or irritation in the esophagus. Some of the causes of the infection could be bacteria, viruses or fungi in the body. Also, a weak immune system doesn’t stop infections.

The three types of Esophagitis is:

• ·         Reflux Esophagitis: where GERD comes from.
• ·         Drug-induced Esophagitis: when taking medicine without water.
• ·         Infectious Esophagitis: the rarest one and is caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux or LPR is known as the “silent reflux” for a reason. LPR is much like Gastroesophageal reflux disease in symptoms, but is hard to detect because you won’t get the normal symptoms that GERD has.

Another condition that affects the esophagus is Hiatal hernia. A hernia happens “any time an internal body part pushes into an area where it doesn’t belong,” said WebMd.

            

            A hiatus is that opening in the Diaphragm, a disk that is attached to the six lower ribs with more than one opening where the esophagus, aorta, vena cava and a lot of nerves pass through. Hiatal hernia happens when there is developing bulge coming through the Diaphragm.

My next blog post will consist of what the doctor will give you on your first visit and the types of medicine out there.