Symptoms of Acid Reflux Reviewed

Though often not so serious, the symptoms of acid reflux can be painful and uncomfortable. Acid reflux or GERD occurs when the tube used to take in the food from the throat to the stomach could not handle the acid. The stomach digests the food we eat with the help of the acid it produces and stores. The walls around the stomach are supposed to be strong enough to produce and store the acid without causing any damage.

One of the very first and most common symptoms of acid reflux is heartburn, which occurs when the acid produced by the stomach to digest the food we eat flows back to the esophagus. This is normal though as it can be experienced by everyone once in a while; however, if the symptoms of acid reflux occur more frequently and can't be relieved by medications, you may be positive of acid reflux. The symptoms of acid reflux may be relieved and prevented by making some changes in your diet but if this still doesn’t work, you should seek immediate medical attention.

The symptoms of acid reflux are experienced when the lower oeasophageal sphinter fails to block or stop the acid from flowing back from the stomach to the esophagus. When this occurs, the chest experiences burning sensation and pain. This condition is called heartburn.

Other symptoms of acid reflux include:

1. Burning Sensation or Pain in the Chest - this burning sensation or pain is first felt at the sternum or from behind the breastbone and may radiate up to the throat. This condition is usually experienced shortly after eating. It can last for as short as a few minutes or as long as several hours.

2. Sour or bitter taste in the mouth – a person will have a sour or bitter taste in the mouth when the stomach contents are pushed back to the esophagus and to the back of the throat.

3. Trouble with Swallowing - also known as dysphagia, trouble with swallowing is a condition that occurs when there is no normal passage of food from the mouth through the esophagus tube to the stomach. This condition is accompanied by a feeling of choking, burning after eating, chest pressure, or a feeling that the food could not move from the throat. It is one of the most common symptoms of acid reflux but it could also be a symptom of other medical conditions such as esophagitis and esophageal cancer; thus, constant trouble with swallowing requires immediate medical attention.

4. Coughing – research shows that GERD accounted for almost 40% of cases of chronic cough in patients who do not smoke. Coughing occurs when the stomach acid refluxes into the esophagus and is inhaled.

5. Wheezing and other asthma-related symptoms – these are also some of the most common symptoms of acid reflux as study sows that around 60% of asthmatic people have also been diagnosed to have acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD can cause asthma-related symptoms when the stomach acid backs up into the esophagus and is inhaled into the lungs and airways, thereby, making breathing more difficult and causing the patient to cough and wheeze.