Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease 

by  

Regine Epps 

Digestive / Respiratory Disorder

Disorder/Disease

     The upper gastroesophageal mobility is affected by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). With GERD, dyspnea (also known as shortness of the breath) happens and causes the difficulty to breathe. There are several symptoms associated with GERD. Breathing difficulties which are known as, bronchospasms cause the muscles bronchi’s airways to tighten and narrow the airways. Aspiration is another known symptom associated to GERD. With aspiration the individual breaths in objects such as food, saliva, and or vomit which will cause a cough to clear the foreign objects from the lungs. Some other symptoms that could occur with GERD are airway obstruction, chronic cough, asthma, and laryngitis. Asthma is the chief symptom of all symptoms associated with GERD. “Up to 80% of persons with asthma have evidence of pathologic gastroesophageal reflux” (NCBI).

The Types of Medical Treatments

     GERD is diagnosed when an individual suffers from acid regurgitating their food, trouble with swallowing associated with pain, excessive saliva, persistent sore throat, laryngitis or hoarseness, inflamed gums, teeth cavities, bad breath, and chest pain. When these symptoms appear, a medical professional will order an X-ray of the upper digestive system, examine the internal side of the esophagus, they conduct an ambulatory acid test, and the movement of the substances inside the esophagus. The sufferer must change their lifestyle habits such as letting go of smoking habits and lowering their alcohol intake, lose weight and eat smaller meals, avoid laying down 2 to 3 hours after eating and elevate their head between 6-8 inches, and decrease their caffeine intake and avoid bronchodilators such as theophylline to manage the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease. The doctor will prescribe reflux medications, OTC antacids and hydrogen blockers that will shorten the effects of stomach acid. The use of a proton pump inhibitors may help with blocking acid production. When these measures fail the physician or specialist may recommend surgery known as fundoplication surgery.

Some Data/Statistics

     People with gastroesophageal reflux disease are known to experience a burning sensation in their chest over two times in a week. This is an indicative symptom that a patient has GERD. Most people that have GERD symptoms don’t seek medical help from a health professional. A 2014 systematic review estimates from 15.1 to 30 percent [DS1] of the U.S. population has GERD (Thomas, 2014). The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), revealed that 995,402 GERD hospitalizations occurred in the year 1998. And, then in 2005, there was increase of 216/100 amounting up to 3.14 million. In 1998 and 2005, the hospital discharges for GERD were predominantly women patients at a total of 62%. The study also found that there was 2.4% decrease between 1998 and 2005 for adults. In the same time frame, it increased to 42% for babies and 84% for adolescents from 2 to 17 years of age. Unfortunately, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases revealed that there were 4.7 million admitted patients and 1,653 fatalities due to GERD in 2010.  

Reference

https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/shortness-of-breath

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8931826

https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/related-conditions/gastroesophageal-reflux-disease

https://www.healthline.com/health/bronchospasm

https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/facts-statistics-infographic#1