Gastroesophageal reflux is the abnormal upwelling of the acidic contents of the stomach into the esophagus. When the first symptoms appear, you feel very unwell, but it is important to recognize the disease in order to treat it and avoid worsening.
Il gastroesophageal reflux when it occurs sometimes it indicates the malfunction of the cardiaswhich is the valve located between the esophagus and stomach, which should work to avoid one rising food. The causes are many and extremely variable.
The most common are obesity, cigarette smoking, alcoholism, pregnancy, hiatal hernia, asthma, excessive consumption of fatty foods, constant intake of certain medicines, but also stress and gastroparesis.
Typical symptoms are easily recognized and cause severe discomfort: stomach ache, Chronic acid regurgitation, sore throat, hoarseness, chest pain, dysphagia, halitosis, cough and shortness of breath are well known symptoms to those suffering from this annoying disorder.
Consult a doctor when it is not a sporadic episode (eg ingestion of unusual foods) and the diagnosis is based on the physical examination and history. Sometimes more in-depth tests are also used, such as the gastroscopy and / or 24-hour esophageal pH-metry.
Reflux disease: how and when to intervene
Esophageal reflux disease is easily managed with medications, for example pantoprazole, lansoprazole, esomeprazole, omeprazole, rabeprazole and dexlansoprazole, constitute the typical therapy. Generally they should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach but it is the doctor who assesses it on a case-by-case basis.
However, a healthy lifestyle is the most useful thing to control symptoms: smoking and foods very high in fat make the disease worse.
Gastroesophageal reflux is considered a pathology when it is no longer a sporadic phenomenon but becomes a chronic disorder, with recurring symptoms. Very rarely, when the situation does not improve with medication, surgery is performed. However the pharmacological therapy it is usually enough to keep symptoms at bay.
When necessary, antibiotics are administered, as the disease can sometimes be caused by Helicobacter pylori.