Gastro esophageal Refux Disease (GERD) is defined as the failure of the antireflux barrier, allowing abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. It is a mechanical disorder which is caused by a defective lower esophageal sphincter, a gastric emptying disorder or failed esophageal peristalsis.

Medical therapy is the first line of management. Esophagitis will heal in approximately 90% of cases with intensive medical therapy. However, symptoms recur in more than 80% of cases within one year of drug withdrawal. Since it is a chronic condition, medical therapy involving acid suppression and/or pro-motility agents may be required for the rest of a patient's life. Nissen fundoplication is a safe and effective treatment for GERD when medical management fails.

Nissen fundoplication has emerged as the most widely accepted procedure for patients with normal esophageal motility. Two surgical techniques are employed to perform Nissen fundoplication: open surgery or laparoscopic surgery. In open surgery we make a 6- to 10-inch incision in the middle of the abdomen, from just below the ribs to the umbilicus. If the patient has a hiatal hernia, that is repaired first and then the surgeon performs the procedure.

Yes; This problem is quite common in infants and child as well. Most of the time in infants it results due to faulty feeding techniques.

When you eat or drink something it passes down the oesophagus into the stomach. Gastro-oesophageal reflux occurs when the contents of your stomach travel back up into the oesophagus. Unlike vomiting, gastro-oesophageal reflux can happen without you realising.

There is a ring of muscle at the lower end of the oesophagus which is there to stop gastro-oesophageal reflux. When you eat or drink something the muscle relaxes to allow the food or liquid to pass into your stomach. Then it tightens up again when you've finished. Gastro-oesophageal reflux happens if the muscle becomes slack or relaxes at the wrong time.

During normal ingestion and digestion, food travels from the mouth through a tube of muscle called the esophagus to the stomach, where it remains until it is pushed into the intestine. Muscles in the lower part of the esophagus just above the stomach, called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), tighten to keep food and digestive acid in the stomach.

The term Acid reflux refers to a backflow problem from the stomach to the esophagus. Food substance that come from the stomach contain acids that the esophagus is not designed to handle and they can eventually do damage to the lining of the esophagus. Most everyone experiences some level of Acid Reflux from time to time. Periodic occurrences are generally referred to as heartburn and are accompanied by a 'burning' sensation at the top of the stomach area.

this time there is no cure for Acid Reflux disease. In some cases it can be directly related to a specific aggravating factor and will leave when these factors are removed. However, in most cases Acid Reflux is chronic to some degree. It can, however, be managed effectively in most cases via lifestyle and/or medications. In some sever cases, surgery can become an option, but this should be discussed thoroughly with your physician.

In normal digestion, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) opens to allow food to pass into the stomach and closes to prevent food and acidic stomach juices from flowing back into the esophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when the LES is weak or relaxes inappropriately, allowing the stomach's contents to flow up into the esophagus. The severity of GERD depends on LES dysfunction, as well as the type and amount of fluid brought up from the stomach and the neutralizing effect of saliva.

Acid Reflux is a disease with heartburn as the most common symptom. Frequent heartburn that disrupts lifestyle and risks damage to the esophagus generally defines Acid Reflux as the disease. Your doctor should make the determination.

Food and beverages stimulate the stomach to produce digestive acids that can backflow (reflux) into the esophagus. Lying down right after eating can make your refluxing worse because you'll lose the assistance of gravity in keeping your natural stomach acids down. Spicy foods or otherwise do not cause Acid Reflux, but they do seem to aggravate the symptoms in many people.

There could be a link between antidepressant and reflux disease. Therefore, if you take antidepressants and are suffering from frequent acid reflux/GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), your antidepressant medication could be contributing to the symptoms you are experiencing. Researchers have discovered that a link between antidepressant and acid reflux does in fact..

It is a common health problem that physicians feel is caused by a hiatal hernia or when the lower esophageal sphincter or LES which is the opening to your stomach doesn't work well enough to hold food and fluids in the stomach and allows food and stomach juices and acids to wash back into the esophagus.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) develops when stomach acid and juices back up, or reflux, into the esophagus, the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. This happens when the valve between the lower end of the esophagus and the stomach (the lower esophageal sphincter) does not close tightly enough. GERD most commonly occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes at the wrong time (that is, when you are not swallowing) and remains open too long.

Along with lifestyle changes, nonprescription medications may be needed to control occasional heartburn. Medications used for home treatment of GERD include antacids, or nonprescription medicines that reduce or block acid. These include H2 blockers (for example, Pepcid) or a proton pump inhibitor (for example, Prilosec OTC). For more information about prescription forms of these drugs, see the Medications section of this topic.

NDI disrupts sleep by causing frequent awakenings to empty the bladder, which fills up quickly with urine. NDI is not associated with any allergies or respiratory problems although the latter two problems are common and may occur independent of NDI. NDI is not known to be associated with acid reflux disease. However, many young boys with NDI vomit frequently, sometimes twice or three-times daily, until the ages of 3 or 4 years.

Acid reflux describes a backflow of acid from the stomach into the swallowing tube or esophagus. This acid can irritate and sometimes damage the lining on the inside of the esophagus. Almost everyone experiences acid reflux at some time. The usual symptom is heartburn, an uncomfortable burning sensation behind the breastbone, most commonly occurring after a meal. In some individuals this reflux is frequent or severe enough to cause more significant problems.

Heartburn is the most common symptom of acid reflux disease. In some patients it may be accompanied by other acid reflux disease symptoms, such as regurgitation of gastric contents into the mouth and difficulty swallowing.

Recent statistics indicate that about fifteen (15) million people in the US alone suffer from acid reflux disease.

Acid reflux disease affects people of every socioeconomic class, ethnic group and age. However, the incidence does seem to increase quite dramatically above the age of 40. More than 50 percent of people (both male and female) with acid reflux disease are between the ages of 45 to 64.

Smoking doesn't cause acid reflux disease but there is some evidence that smoking significantly worsens acid reflux disease. Nicotine is a risk factor for relaxation of the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES) and may cause increased heartburn. Stopping smoking is a good idea for multiple reasons.

Unfortunately, acid reflux disease, in general, cannot be cured at present. In some cases, it may be a temporary condition associated with a specific aggravating factor such as pregnancy. In such cases, acid reflux disease will go away on its own when the pregnancy has ended. In most cases acid reflux disease is a chronic condition. However, it can be effectively managed with medications and lifestyle modifications in almost everybody. In some cases, surgery is an option.

This is when the esophagus enlarges over time, and is probably related to either too tight a Band, or possibly improper placement of the Band around the junction of the esophagus and stomach. This requires loosening or removal of the Band.

Acid reflux disease is caused by reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus. In most patients this is due to a transient relaxation of the "gate" or sphincter (LES) that keeps the lower end of the esophagus closed when a person is not swallowing food or liquids. This transient relaxation happens a few times each day in people without acid reflux disease. Why it happens more frequently in acid reflux disease patients isn???t known.