As is often the case the name of the disease differs depending on the country, in the United Kingdom it is Gastro Oesophageal Reflux and in the United States it is Esophageal Reflux Disease. Gerd or gord is the cause of heartburn which is common amongst all people and causes upper abdominal pain and discomfort.



The pain in the throat which is such a feature of acid reflux comes from the stomach acid and pepsin which is forced up the esophagus. The lining of the esophagus has no protection against the acid and is irritated and can become ulcerated and even digested by the acid and pepsin. Symptoms can be varied and can be mild or very bad, in the latter this can cause bleeding and sometimes perforation of the esophageal wall. Gerd is very common and becoming even more so - mainly due to the increase in obesity and the increased pace of life. Go back 100 years and your ancestors probably wouldn't have recognised the disease.

Sufferers of acid reflux are often overweight and have a characteristic pear shape which indicates too much fat tissue in the abdominal cavity. The more fat, the more the organs are compressed. When the pressure in the stomach builds up, it can only go up the oesophagus! This is especially so when lying down or bending down.

One thing is obvious, weight loss is essential for sufferers of acid reflux to alleviate the pain. Easier said than done!

Unfortunately the esophageal problems aren't the whole story for many pain sufferers, fluid from the stomach can also rise to the mouth. This can be acid brash where the fluid contains both acid and bile and is really sour or bitter or your mouth may fill with excess saliva and this is known as water brash. You may also experience pains in the middle of the chest and find it very hard to and painful to swallow even well chewed food.

Going to the Medic may not bring the help you crave, as the things which are prescribed are often antacids, acid suppressants or anti digestion remedies.

If the symptoms are assessed on the DeMeester scale and score maximum points, the Medic will usually send you for a Barium x-ray or an endoscopy with the latter now being the preffered option.

Acid reflux pain is a complicated subject and can't be dealt with in just one article, further articles will try to go into more detail. But until these appear reduce your pace of life, eat less and at set times in order to lose weight.