What is Acid Reflux?

The term Acid Reflux is the short form of expression of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). This disease is characterized by heartburn. The burning sensation starts from the stomach and spreads to chest and throat. These heartburn may be related to the following activities:

• Consumption of heavy meals,
• Bending over ,
• Lifting heavy weight,
• Lying on the bed on one’s back.

Interestingly enough, majority of the acid influx patients experience these heartburns in the night. Further, patients who have pains in the night, usually  experience more severe pain than patients who normally gets the pain in any other time of the day. Severity of the pain in the night is comparable to pain persons suffer in angina or congestive heart disorder.

But, severity of heartburn does not indicate any injury to esophagus. Rather, people may have serious heartburn without any damage to the esophagus.

It is seen that more than half of the Acid Reflux patients suffer from dyspepsia which consists of the following syndromes:

• Discomfort in the upper abdomen or pain thereof
• A feeling of fullness of the stomach
• One experiences a nauseatic feeling after taking meals

But, one must also remember that a person with or without Acid Influx, may suffer from dyspepsia.

Persons suffering from Acid Reflux, may experience regurgitations. Regurgitations is the sensation of burning  due to acid backing up the throat. At times the regurgitations may go up to the mouth and may even cause vomiting.

There are other symptoms also like :

• chest pain or sensation,
• Acid laryngitis in the throat (a condition of hoarseness, dry cough or a feeling of a lump in the throat and a persistent feeling to clear the throat)
• Dysphagia or trouble in swallowing . In severe cases , the patient may get choked. It may be indicative of temporary spasm or more serious esophageal damage or abnormalities viz. chronic sore throat, persistent hiccups.