Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Introduction
Reflux refers to the stomach acid rising up the "wrong way"
back up the esophagus and sometimes into the mouth.
When this occurs chronically it is probably caused
by Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
Symptoms typically include recurrent heartburn,
reflux, and regurgitation,
but may also include chest pain, hoarseness or swallowing difficulty;
see also other symptoms of GERD.
Diagnosis of GERD requires consideration of other possible underlying conditions
causing symptoms, such as hiatal hernia.
Prolonged GERD can be associated with throat damage such as reflux esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus and also stomach ulcers.
Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
See full list of 29
symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical testing related to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
- Food Allergies & Intolerances: Home Testing:
- Digestive-Related Home Testing:
- more tests...»
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Complications
Review possible medical complications related to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
Disease Topics Related To Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
Medical Textbooks Online about Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Medical Books Excerpts
- Dyspepsia
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Dyspepsia
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Dyspepsia
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Sore Throat
- "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Dyspepsia
- "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
- [ read ]
Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Diagnostic Tests for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Read more about tests for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Wrongly Diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease?
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Medical Mistakes
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:
Misdiagnosis and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Heart attacks can be undiagnosed: Although the most severe symptoms of heart attack are hard to miss,
there are varying degrees of severity.
It is altogether too common for people to die from undiagnosed heart attack, or from...read more »
Heart attacks can be overdiagnosed: Although many people die from heart attacks, there are also
many cases where people fear that they have a heart...read more »
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms
of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea
is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called ...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely
to cause some level of diarrhea in patients.
The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria,
but can also kill the "good" bacteria in the gut.
This...read more »
Heart attack can be over-diagnosed: Although heart attack is often undiagnosed,
leading to fatality, it can also be over-diagnosed.
People...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down
with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning).
In fact, it's more likely to be an ...read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the
more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed
(it...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive
conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a variety of symptoms ...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent
difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases.
Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, irritable bowel...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research related physicians and medical specialists:
- Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists:
- Digestive Health Specialists (Gastroenterology):
- more specialists...»
Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:
Hospitals & Clinics: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Research quality ratings and patient safety measures
for medical facilities in specialties related to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »
Choosing the Best Hospital:
More general information, not necessarily in relation to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease,
on hospital performance and surgical care quality:
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Rare Types
Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:
Causes of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
- Hiatal hernia
- Esophagus inflammation (see Esophagus symptoms)
- Gastroesophageal reflux is a common condition that often occurs without symptoms after meals. In some people, the reflux is related to a problem with the lower esophageal sphincter, a band of muscle fibers that usually closes off the esophagus from the stomach. If this sphincter doesn't close properly, food and liquid can move backward into the esophagus and may cause the symptoms
- more causes...»
Read more about causes of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
More information about causes of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
Treatments for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
- Infant GERD treatments
- Burping after breastfeeding
- Upright position after breastfeeding
- Childhood GERD treatments
- more treatments...»
See full list of 60
treatments for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Latest Treatments for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
See full list of 16
latest treatments for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
News Archives for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Medical news articles related to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease include:
Source: HealthDay News
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Medical research articles related to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease include:
Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database
Videos for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Heartburn has millions of Americans running to the shelves of their supermarkets and drugstores to end their discomfort. Most of the time,...
Most of us know what heartburn is like -- in fact, 60 million Americans feel that sharp, burning sensation in their chest at least once a month. But...
Heartburn can be a nuisance at any time of day, but for many people the greatest frustration happens at night. Not only can heartburn get in the way...
How do you know which heartburn medicine will bring you the best relief? Researchers studying acid reflux can tell us how they measure relief. But...
See full list of 11 related videos
Patient Surveys for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Prognosis for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Prognosis for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
The majority of people respond to nonsurgical measures with behavioral modification and medications.
More about prognosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Reseach about Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Visit our research pages for current research about Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease treatments.
Statistics for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Broader Related Topics
Types of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Types of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
- Infant GERD - a childhood problem that is usually outgrown
- more types...»
Read more about Types of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Curable Types of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Possibly curable types of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease include:
- Pregnancy associated GERD
- GERD associated with obesity
- Medication ( nitrates, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers) associated GERD
- Cholelithiasis associated with GERD
- Irritable bowel syndrome associated with GERD
- more types...»
Rare Types of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
Rare types of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease include:
- Pregnancy associated with GERD
- GERD associated with obesity
- Medication ( nitrates, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers) associated GERD
- Cholelithiasis associated with GERD
- Irritable bowel syndrome associated with GERD
- Pediatric gastroesophageal reflux disease
- more types...»
Stories from Users Related to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Related forums and medical stories:
User Interactive Forums
Read about other experiences, ask a question about Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:
Article Excerpts about Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, occurs when the lower
esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly, and stomach contents
splash back, or reflux, into the esophagus. The LES is a ring of muscle at
the bottom of the esophagus that acts like a camera shutter between the
esophagus and stomach. The esophagus carries food from the mouth to the
stomach.
When refluxed stomach acid touches the lining of the esophagus, it
causes a burning sensation in the chest or throat called heartburn. The
fluid may even be tasted in the back of the mouth, and this is called acid
indigestion. Occasional heartburn is common but does not necessarily mean
one has GERD. Heartburn that occurs more than twice a week may be
considered GERD, which can eventually lead to more serious health
problems.
(Source: excerpt from Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): NIDDK)
Definitions of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease:
Retrograde flow of gastric juice (GASTRIC ACID) and/or duodenal contents (BILE ACIDS; PANCREATIC JUICE) into the distal ESOPHAGUS, commonly due to incompetence of the LOWER ESOPHAGEAL SPHINCTER. Gastric regurgitation is an extension of this process with retrograde flow into the PHARYNX or MOUTH.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
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