Is gastroesophageal reflux disease dangerous and other related information?

1. Learn about gastroesophageal reflux disease 

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a digestive disease that can occur in all subjects, regardless of age or gender. Normally, the movement of food is from the mouth to the esophagus. At this time, the esophageal sphincter will be controlled to relax to help food move to the stomach. This process is completed, then the esophageal sphincter closes.

However, in people with gastroesophageal reflux disease, the esophageal sphincter does not close properly. This causes stomach contents to move back up into the esophagus. This condition irritates the lining of the esophagus and makes the patient feel very uncomfortable.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs in many people.

There are several risk factors that increase this condition, such as:

• The patient's esophageal sphincter is weakened.
• Eating irregularly, being too full, too hungry, or eating a lot of spicy, hard-to-digest foods.
• Use carbonated drinks or coffee,…
• Patients with stomach diseases can also cause gastric reflux.
• Side effects of some medications such as aspirin and glucagon can also cause gastroesophageal reflux disease.
• Pregnancy or obesity also increases the risk of developing the disease.

Acid reflux can be caused by irregular eating and many other factors.

2. How does gastroesophageal reflux disease manifest?

• Belching, heartburn or acid regurgitation: This condition often appears after each meal or at night, making it difficult for the patient to sleep well.
• Nausea: If the patient eats too much, it will cause stomach acid to irritate the throat, leading to symptoms of nausea or vomiting. 
• Difficulty swallowing: Stomach acid can cause the esophagus to swell. This can cause choking and difficulty swallowing.
• Bitter mouth: Bitter taste in the mouth occurs when gastric juices and bile mix together and flow back up into the esophagus.
• Sore throat, hoarseness: People who regularly suffer from acid reflux will experience a sore throat or hoarseness. This is because the acid from the stomach flows back up, causing damage to the vocal cords.
• More saliva than usual: This symptom occurs due to a decrease in the pH level in the mouth. The body produces more saliva to neutralize the acid.
• Pain in the epigastric region: This is also a common symptom in patients. Not only pain in this area, pain can appear in the back and arms.
• Other symptoms: Gastroesophageal reflux disease can also cause other symptoms such as asthma, shortness of breath, bad breath, difficulty sleeping, etc.

Gastroesophageal reflux makes the patient feel very uncomfortable.

3. Answer the question: Is gastroesophageal reflux disease dangerous?

Is gastroesophageal reflux disease dangerous? is a question that many people ask. In fact, the danger level of this disease depends on whether the disease is detected early and timely treatment measures are applied.

Gastroesophageal reflux is one of the common digestive diseases in many people, from infants to the elderly. The disease will not be dangerous if the patient is treated early. On the contrary, if the patient is negligent and subjective and does not go to the doctor, the disease will become more severe and have to face serious complications such as:

• Esophageal stricture: If the disease persists for a long time and is not treated, it will cause the esophagus to ulcerate and form scars. The patient's esophagus will gradually narrow, leading to difficulty swallowing and chest pain.
• Respiratory diseases: When gastric juice refluxes into the respiratory tract, the patient will experience diseases such as sinusitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. In addition, the patient may also experience other accompanying symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, hoarseness, runny nose, etc.
• Barrett's esophagus complications: This complication is extremely dangerous because it can lead to esophageal cancer. However, this complication does not have any special signs. Therefore, patients need to have regular check-ups to detect and treat complications promptly.
• Esophageal cancer: In fact, if not treated carefully, the patient may experience serious complications such as esophageal cancer.

We need to understand the danger level of gastric reflux disease so as not to be subjective about this condition.

4. How to prevent the disease?

Preventing gastroesophageal reflux disease is not too difficult. We can combine some of the following solutions:

• Weight control: One of the causes of acid reflux is being overweight or obese, which puts pressure on the abdomen and pushes the stomach up, causing stomach acid to flow back into the esophagus. Therefore, to prevent this disease, you should maintain a moderate weight by establishing a suitable diet and exercise regimen.
• Quit smoking and do not use foods containing stimulants such as carbonated drinks, coffee, etc.
• You should not eat a lot of processed foods or foods that contain a lot of protein and fat that are difficult to digest.
• Dinner should be eaten about 3 hours before bedtime and avoid lying down immediately after eating.
• To reduce pressure on the stomach and minimize digestive disorders, you should chew slowly and thoroughly when eating.

Patients should establish a suitable diet and lifestyle to prevent disease.

By now, you should have answered the question. Is gastroesophageal reflux disease dangerous?If you notice suspicious signs in your body, you should proactively go for an early medical examination at a medical facility. medical prestigious as a Gastroenterologist MEDLATEC Medical System with nearly 30 years of experience. To make an appointment, please contact the hotline 1900 56 56 56 of MEDLATEC for more detailed support.