Acid Reflux Symptoms

Older people who have acid reflux symptoms tend to have less when compared to the younger ones. However, their symptoms may occur in the lungs or in the mouth as well. The incidence of reflux in children and babies are not to be ignored. In fact, of the 4 million babies in the U.S annually, approximately 35% of them have symptoms of reflux in the first months of their life, called “spitting up.” GERD in children can cause coughing, repeated vomiting, involuntary spitting up, and wheezing. They may also refuse to eat food or drink milk. Other acid reflux symptoms include inadequate weight, belching or burping and bad breath.

Acid reflux symptoms may occur, normally, once in a while but when it becomes regular, for a period of 2 to 3 times a week without relief or response to medication, a person may have acid reflux. They range from severe conditions that may appear normal to some people. These include the following:

• Heartburn is one of the most common acid reflux symptoms. It is also called “acid indigestion.”This is characterized by a burning sensation that starts from the stomach up to the chest and throat. It may result from irritation when gastric contents reflux up into the throat. Regular heartburn is common among pregnant women, smokers; overweight, heavy drinkers and people aged 35 to 64. Some activities that may trigger heartburn are eating heavy meals, bending forward, and lifting. It is commonly experienced after eating, and it can last from a few minutes to several hours. Contrary to its name, heartburn does not affect the heart.

Those people who are having acid indigestion at night time may experience more acid reflux symptoms than those manifested by patients at other times of the day.

• Dyspepsia is a syndrome characterized by pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, feeling of fullness in the stomach, nausea after eating, and burping.
• Chest pains or sensations are not always brought about by GERD. Doctor’s shouldn’t rule out the possibility of angina or heart attack. Some patients may experience a sensation that food is trapped behind the ribcage.
• Regurgitation is the feeling of acid flowing or backing up the throat. It happens because the acid in the stomach tends to push the foods upward. This can produce a sour or bitter taste. Some people even vomit some gastric contents.
• Difficulty of swallowing / Dysphagia occurs when the food cannot pass easily and normally from the mouth, through the esophagus and to the stomach. This symptom should also be evaluated by a physician, as it can also be a sign of other conditions including esophageal cancer and erosive esophagitis. If esophagitis is present, it may cause ulcerations in the lining of the esophagus, and may eventually cause esophageal narrowing, making swallowing of food and even drinking liquids difficult and painful. In severe cases, bloody vomiting occurs. If not treated, patients may experience aspiration, wherein the foods or liquids go to the lungs instead of going to the stomach. This is a fatal complication.
• Chronic coughing in non-smoking patients is said to be brought about by acid reflux. Aspiration of acid backflow into the esophagus may be the cause of coughing.
• Wheezing / Asthma-like symptoms may occur because of the reversed flow of acid into the airways and lungs. These factors can make breathing difficult.
• Bloating may be caused by the increased amount of acids in the stomach.
• Bloody stools or black stools can result from ulcerations in the stomach brought about by high acid concentrations. However, there are also other conditions that may manifest this symptom, so it is important to seek consultation from a physician for proper diagnosis.
• Weight loss can be obvious for GERD patients mainly because of difficulty in swallowing or dysphagia.
• Chronic sore throat may also occur because the throat is often the one affected immediately.
• Erosion of dental enamel is rare and happens in severe cases when the acid backs up to the mouth. Other mouth and throat acid reflux symptoms include hoarseness, gum problems and feeling of lump in the throat.
• Hiccups result from the contraction of the contraction of the diaphragm (a muscle responsible for respiration). After the said contraction, the glottis or the windpipe immediately closes and produces a “hic” sound. These are normal for some people, but for some, it may be due to acid reflux.

Early diagnosis and proper treatment are essential for good prognosis. Otherwise, many complications may arise. As previously stated, esophagitis or the inflammation of the lining of the esophagus may result if acid reflux is not treated properly.  The purpose of the said inflammation is to stop the damage and start the healing process. If the damage goes deeply, an ulcer may be formed, thus, bleeding occurs. However, when ulcers heal, scars are formed (fibrosis). When the scar tissue grows, it will be the cause for the narrowing of the lumen of the esophagus called “stricture.”

Another common complication is Asthma. There are a lot of nerves in the lower esophagus. As the acids stimulate these nerves, it causes not only pain, but also coughing because some nerves may trigger it. Other esophageal nerves are connected to the lungs, so stimulation continues up to the lungs. Because of continuous stimulation, these nerves in the lungs will cause the narrowing of the breathing tubes and later on, asthma symptoms become present. Pneumonia (infection of the lungs) can also be prevalent in severe cases because of the aspiration of fluids in the lungs. This type of pneumonia requires immediate treatment because it is life-threatening. The infection may affect the inflation of the lungs that may lead to a more serious complication, which is lung collapse. Also, because the throat communicates to the nasal passages, the acid that goes up to the throat may advance further and reach the sinus. The acid is a foreign substance for the sinus, so it will trigger inflammation (sinusitis).