What One Ought To Know About Acid Reflux Disease
When your doctor is talking about GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), you will more commonly know it as acid reflux disease. This particular health problem is caused by the leaking of liquid formed in the stomach after food has been digested back up in to a person’s esophagus.
Should a person choose to avoid treating this condition it will normally lead to other health problems for them in the future. One of the main problems that they will have to deal with is that the esophagus lining over time becomes damaged and will become inflamed and sore.
The main reason for the lining becoming damaged is that the liquid, which has been regurgitated from the stomach, contains acid along with an enzyme known as pepsin. It is this enzyme that helps to break down the proteins in the food that you eat so your body is able to absorb them more easily and they therefore contain caustic properties. Although the pepsin’s can cause damage it is commonly believed that the main culprit for the discomfort and pain felt with acid reflux is the acid contained in the liquid that has been regurgitated.
At some stage, we are all likely to suffer with a mild form of acid reflux (heartburn), yet for others the problem can become so severe that it leads to it taking control over them. For these people they will then need to find ways of treating and dealing with the condition to ensure that it does not impact to greatly on their lives in the future. This may well mean that they need to be taking medication constantly to help keep the situation under control.
For some people who suffer with acid reflux the problem of liquid in the esophagus may occur more at night than in the day. This is because when we are awake (stood up or sitting down) the regurgitated liquid is able to easily flow back in to the stomach through the help of gravity. Also, when awake we are constantly swallowing (even though you may not realize it) and this further helps to force the liquid back down into your stomach where it has come from.
Another reason for why certain people may suffer more from acid reflux at night rather than in the day is because the levels of saliva they are producing are reduced as they sleep. In the saliva, that your mouth produces is bicarbonate and this when it travels down the esophagus helps to neutralize any acids that are in it.
However, when you go to sleep at night the amount of saliva you produce is reduced because you stop swallowing as much. Also, the problem can be further exacerbated, as no longer is gravity helping your body to eliminate the regurgitated liquid from your esophagus back into the stomach. This then allows the acid inside the liquid to stay longer in the esophagus and which will then cause damage to its lining.
As we have mentioned previously any one can suffer from acid reflux disease, but there are some people who are more susceptible to suffering from it. Some women when they reach the latter stages of their pregnancy may find that the severity of theirs becomes much worse. Also, people who are overweight are also at a high much higher risk of having this form of stomach complaint. Plus even babies during their first year may well suffer from this but often they will out grow it, as they get older.
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