Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A Case Study

GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease. This happens when acid from your stomach backs up into your esophagus. The acid backs up when the muscle around the bottom of the lower esophagus (lower esophageal sphincter) either becomes weak or does not close normally and the acid leaks out.

As the acid backwashes into the esophagus the lining in the lower esophagus can become irritated an start to become narrow (esophageal stricture) as well as sores can form which causes bleeding (esophageal ulcer). If this condition or changes to the lower esophagus progresses it could lead to esophageal cancer ( Barrett's esophagus).

Some of the signs and symptoms of GERD:

Chest pain

Difficulty of swallowing

Regurgitation of liquid or food

Sensation of something in your throat

At night you could experience:

Laryngitis

Chronic cough

Disrupted sleep

Could develop asthma or if you have asthma it could worsen.

If you have some of these symptoms and see your doctor he may do some of the following to confirm if you have GERD.

Upper endoscopy this is where a thin flexible tube (endoscope) with a light and camera on it is put down your throat to look at an check for areas that are affected or inflamed (esophagitis). During this procedure samples can also be taken (biopsy) to check for Barrett's esophagus.

Ambulatory acid (ph) probe test this is where a monitor in placed on the esophagus to see how long and when the acid started to go backwards.

Esophageal manometry this is a test that measures the rhythms of the muscles in the esophagus contracting and the force exerted.

X-ray of the upper digestive system.

Treatments for GERD:

Lifestyle changes would be the easiest such as:

Healthy weight

Stop