Just
a Little Heartburn…….?
By James J. Hakim MD
Many of us experience a little heartburn from time to time. When the symptoms occur more than once a week, we may be dealing with a more serious condition called GERD. ( Gastro-Esophageal-Reflux-Disease.) GERD occurs when the sphincter muscle between the esophagus and stomach is to weak to prevent the backward flow of acid and other gastric juices. The constant repetitive reflux of stomach contents can cause serious damage to the esophagus. It can also cause hoarseness when the vocal cords are affected and can cause asthma exacerbations when the acid gets into the bronchial tubes.
If the symptoms go untreated for several years, one can even develop cancer of the esophagus. Pretty serious for,……. “Just a little heartburn!”
Fortunately, there are treatments that can help. The first thing to do is to see what habits can be changed to decrease the reflux. Avoiding caffeine, chocolates, mints, carbonated beverages, alcohol and fatty foods can help immensely. Loosing weight for some may be helpful, as this decreases the pressure forcing stomach contents up into the esophagus. Some patients, especially those with nighttime symptoms, may benefit from elevating the head of the bed by 15 degrees. This allows gravity to work for us to keep the reflux down.
The above approaches are often combined with medications that your doctor
can prescribe. These
medications are helpful by decreasing the amount of acid that is produced in the
stomach. Some of these drugs are
Pepcid, Zantac, Prilosec and Prevacid. Other
medicines are used when these methods fail to control the symptoms.
It is only when the problem is so severe as to be resistant to all
medical treatments that surgery is then considered.
This is performed to lessen the reflux of stomach contents by making the
esophageal opening to the stomach smaller.
The most important things to remember from this are that frequent heartburn symptoms are potentially serious and yet very treatable. You should make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms and to plan a treatment approach that is right for you.