Heartburn Or GERD – What Is The Difference

You hear the terms heartburn and acid reflux and GERD used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Heartburn or acid indigestion is a symptom, meaning that it’s what you feel as a result of acid reflux. Acid reflux comes from the acids and digestive juices rising back up into your esophagus, because a valve known as the LES does not close properly or stay closed.

Heartburn and reflux are common, and occasionally happens to most everyone. You usually know why it happens when it does. You just ate a really big meal of greasy, spicy, and fatty foods – and washed it down with a couple of beers. You take a couple of tums, the burning goes away – this isn’t your normal lifestyle, and heartburn and acid reflux isn’t a persistent problem.

GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is different in terms of its frequency and severity. GERD is acid reflux that is occurring more than a couple times of week, and happening more often. Left untreated, GERD can turn into some really serious health problems, including cancer of the esophagus.

GERD Symptoms

Although acid indigestion and the resulting pain is the most typical symptom, you can have GERD without heartburn. A dry cough and constant clearing of the through, breathing problems similar to what you would expect from asthma, and swallowing difficulties, are all different symptoms of GERD. And do note that most children under twelve with this condition, do not have accompanying heartburn.

GERD Causes

This is a disease where it is what is happening is known, but the reasons for why it develops in some people isn’t clear. It is understood that some people’s LES relaxes during digestion, which in turn allows acids to reflux back into the esophagus. And in the case of a hiatal hernia, acid reflux can happen more easily, because the LES has moved up above the area separating the stomach from the chest. However, much of the time there are no symptoms from a hiatal hernia.

It is also known that life style and food choices worsen the reflux symptoms. For instance, people who are obese, smoke, or are pregnant have a greater likelihood of having GERD. And there is a list of foods that are known to worsen the problems for people who have frequent symptoms – foods like the following are known as acid reflux trigger foods: citrus fruits, caffeine and alcohol, overly spicy foods, tomato based foods, and fried and fatty foods are among the worst.

GERD Long Term Complications

For many people, a change in lifestyle or medications is what is necessary to be relieved of their symptoms, and the resulting acid reflux problems. But if this doesn’t work, and it is allowed to persist, serious health problems can arise.

Keep this foremost in your mind – this is acid that is coming up into your esophagus, and acid burns. Constant and prolonged inflammation and burning of the esophagus from the refluxed acid, can cause damage leading to bleeding and ulcers. As this worsens you can get scar tissue from the damage, and this can causing a narrowing of the esophagus which can make swallowing more difficult. You can get a conditional known as Barrett’s esophagus or even cancer of the esophagus, which is often fatal.

You can even have this lead to apparently unrelated conditions like a chronic cough, asthma, or scaring of your lung tissue.

GERD Symptoms Persisting

The sooner it is caught and dealt with, the easier it can be to treat the symptoms, with the least amount of additional damage.

Try a change in lifestyle and diet – there are many books and guides for doing this that can be effective. But if this doesn’t work, than it would be recommended to see your doctor. He may prescribe medication, or he may send you to a specialist to have tests done. And yes, in some cases you may need surgery to correct the problem, but think about it – do you want to go through life with a problem that you are ignoring that actually needs surgery to correct?

GERD And Lifestyle Changes

When you recognize that your heartburn is really indicative of a bigger problem, you can first make some dietary and lifestyle changes – here is a list of things to try:

• Quit smoking or drinking – these are both major contributors

• Learn the acid reflux trigger foods and avoid them

• Do not remain overweight

• Eat smaller meals

• Don’t wear tight fitting close

• Don’t lie down for as much as 3 hours after a meal

• Sleep on a wedge pillow that can raise your torso

Very often these kinds of things are all that is necessary to solve your problems. But do not ignore continuing heartburn and acid reflux – this is a sign that you could have GERD, and that is not going to go away by itself.

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