Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Causes, Symptoms and Effective Treatment

03
Jun

Gastroesophageal reflux disease causes heartburn and burning in the chest. Learn about the causes, signs and effective treatments at home or as prescribed by your doctor!

1. What is Gastroesophageal Reflux?

Trào ngược dạ dày thực quản là bệnh lý xảy ra khi axit dạ dày thường xuyên trào ngược lên thực quản (ống nối từ miệng đến dạ dày). Ở người bình thường, cơ thắt thực quản dưới đóng lại sau khi thức ăn xuống dạ dày. Nếu cơ này yếu hoặc giãn bất thường, axit sẽ trào lên, gây tổn thương niêm mạc thực quản, dẫn đến viêm và các triệu chứng khó chịu.

5 Causes of reflux that we should know about:

🍟 Unscientific eating habits: Fried food, sour and spicy hot food, late-night eating.

🍷 Drinking alcohol, beer, coffee: Relax the esophageal sphincter.

🚬 Smoking: Increased gastric acid secretion.

🧘 Prolonged stress: Stimulate the stomach to produce acid.

🤰 Pregnancy/Obesity: Abdominal pressure pushes acid up into the esophagus.

2. Signs of Recognizing Gastroesophageal Reflux – How Many Symptoms Are You Experiencing?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease often causes the following symptoms:

  • Heartburn, sour burps: Burning sensation from the chest radiating to the neck, increasing when lying down or after eating.
  • Acid reflux: Sour/bitter taste in the mouth, burping, acid reflux. 
  • Epigastric pain: đau above the navel
  • Choking, stuck in the throat: Feels like there is a foreign object in the throat.
  • Insomnia: Discomfort, coughing at night due to reflux when sleeping.
  • Bad breath: Acid reflux causes unpleasant odors.

3. Who is at risk of gastroesophageal reflux? Risk factors to be aware of!

  • Người thừa cân, béo phì, ít vận động.
  • There are unhealthy lifestyles and eating habits such as drinking alcohol and beer, coffee, tea, eating a lot of sour food, consuming a lot of fat, little exercise, lying down immediately after eating…
  • Smoking or passive smoking from tobacco smoke
  • Người làm việc căng thẳng, thức khuya triền miên.
  • Phụ nữ mang thai (từ tháng thứ 4 trở đi).
  • Hiatal hernia: The upper part of the stomach bulges up through the diaphragm.
  • Individuals with a history of illnesses: scleroderma, delayed gastric emptying, etc.

4. When do you need to see a doctor?

  • You need to seek medical attention immediately if you experience pain in the upper abdomen, chest pain, especially if accompanied by shortness of breath that could be mistaken for symptoms of cardiovascular disease – this could be a sign of a heart attack.
  • There are severe or frequent symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux that affect daily activities.
  • Must take medication for gastroesophageal reflux at least twice a week and it doesn't help.

5. Treatment for Gastroesophageal Reflux: Solutions from Experts

5.1. Home treatment, without medication

  • Adjust your diet:

– Limit some foods: spicy food, sour food, hot food, stimulants (tea, coffee, alcohol,…), carbonated drinks, chocolate, mint, garlic,… 

– Eat in moderation: Do not eat too full, do not let yourself get too hungry.

– Eat on time: không ăn quá muộn, tránh nằm ngay sau ăn. Bữa ăn cuối ngày nên kết thúc trước khi đi ngủ ít nhất 3 giờ.

– Eat slowly and chew thoroughly: Reduce digestive pressure and avoid swallowing air.

  • Change your lifestyle:

– Raise your head when sleeping: Use a pillow 10-15 cm high or use an anti-reflux pillow to prevent acid reflux at night. 

– Sleep on your left side: Keep the stomach lower than the esophagus to reduce reflux. 

– Weight loss: Being overweight increases abdominal pressure, making reflux more likely. Regular exercise helps lose weight and sweat. About 30 minutes to 2 hours a day. Exercise at least 5 days a week.

– Quit smoking

– Avoid bending down after eating: Limit exercising or doing heavy work right after a meal.

– Avoid anxiety and stress, avoid staying up late: Practice yoga, meditation, and deep breathing to reduce stress that exacerbates symptoms.

5.2. Drug treatment

  • Thuốc giảm tiết axit: Esomeprazole, Pantoprazole, … (uống trước ăn 30 phút).
  • Alginate: The formation of an 'alginate raft' layer may help block acid pockets and prevent gastric acid reflux after eating.
  •  Thuốc trung hòa axit: Phosphalugel, Gastropulgite, ….

5.3. Endoscopic or surgical intervention

Gastroesophageal reflux may require endoscopic intervention (such as tightening the esophageal sphincter with LINX silicone rings, injecting substances to thicken the sphincter, using a procedure that creates small scars in the sphincter to help it tighten more, known as the Stretta Procedure, etc.) or surgery (like Nissen fundoplication) if it does not respond to medication or lifestyle changes.

Conclusion:
Whichever method you choose, please combine them. healthy lifestyle and adjustments chế độ ăn để tối ưu hiệu quả điều trị. Đừng ngần ngại CONTACT DOCTOR If symptoms do not improve! Share the post to help loved ones in the same room!

Reference document

  1. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). MedlinePlus. Updated May 6, 2024. Accessed June 15, 2024. https://medlineplus.gov/gerd.html

 

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#StomachPain #BadBreath #Obesity #Pregnancy #Smoking #Stress
#HomeTreatment #HealthyEating #RefluxMedication #EndoscopicSurgery #GERDPrevention

 
 

 

 

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