Acid Reflux Symptoms: Our Health Depends On The Initial Diagnosis

Acid Reflux Symptoms: Our Health Depends on the Initial Diagnosis

Jeff Martin

Acid reflux as a disease is a very widespread condition for inhabitants of developed countries. At least one fifth of the whole population of developed countries suffers from some of the typical symptoms at least once per week. Well-being and quality of life is heavily impacted for most acid reflux patients. Yet only a few know of their medical condition and the unpleasant risks.

Acid reflux diagnostics that are made on the basis of observed typical acid reflux symptoms are accurate to 70%. Doctors and medical paraprofessionals agree in the majority that the first diagnosis of acid reflux, for the most part via a questionnaire on typical acid reflux symptoms, is critical for applying the quickest and most effective treatment for this condition. It is essential to be able to spot its symptoms for a rapid diagnosis and cure, because acid reflux can lead to a high amount of discomfort and serious complications for patients.

Disagreeable and painful, the most noticeable symptom of acid reflux is felt in the area of the esophagus as a persistent burning feeling (heartburn). Other typical symptoms of acid reflux are the following:

1. Gastric matter leading to complications in breathing in certain circumstances, because of regurgitation of gastric contents, meaning the uncontrolled backwards flow of stomach or esophageal contents into the throat. 2.Dysphagia, meaning problems in swallowing or the sensation of food being lodged in the throat. 3. Odynophagia, meaning pain while swallowing.

About 50% of all sufferers from gastro esophageal reflux disease also note that they get concurrent sinonasal symptoms (meaning symptoms manifesting themselves in the sinuses and the nose), as well as the symptoms above.

Intense chest pain may be experienced, similar to that of a myocardial infarction and can in error be taken to be a heart attack. Unlike the symptoms of acid reflux however, cardiovascular chest pain is typically exacerbated by physical exercise. Abnormal symptoms concerning acid reflux are also chest pain that is spasmodic but non-cardiac, chronic wheezing and coughing (also known as acid reflux related asthma, the result of gastric content being sucked into the area of the lungs), and lung damage, with concomitant respiratory ailments such as asthma and pneumonia.

Further problems can affect the teeth (decay of the enamel) and the ears (otitis media) as well as damage to the vocal cords (hoarseness, laryngitis, cancer).

GERD symptoms can indicate a serious general lack of internal balance. The ability to see those symptoms as relating to acid reflux is critical to your health and well being in general as well as for avoiding potential complications. Long-standing reflux into the lower part of the esophagus can cause changes in the appearance of the lining cells, a condition called Barrett's esophagus that can turn into esophageal cancer in about 1 of every 200 cases. If the reflux reaches the upper parts of the esophagus, it can irritate adjacent structures and cause coughing, wheezing, chronic sore throat or hoarseness, which often leads to misdiagnoses, especially when the usual reflux symptoms are minimal or absent.

When one or several of the acid reflux symptoms above has been identified, an appointment should be made with a certified physician for a full checkup. Luckily, anyone can identify typical acid reflux symptoms on his or her own, and thus justify an appointment to see the family physician. While a professional doctor can diagnose correctly initially and often proposes relief as drugs and antacids, remember that medication, whether prescription or over-the-counter, only treats the surface aspects of your acid reflux situation. In addition, some drugs like antacids result in various secondary effects. The cures for the problem that is at the root of the gastro esophageal reflux disease, to finally remedy the issue much more effectively, safely and for the long-term will come from a holistic approach that treats the internal causes that are behind acid reflux in the first place.