6 Symptoms That Show You Have GERD, The Most Common Disease
Gastroesophageal Reflux Diseases (GERD) is one of the most common diseases experienced by people but is often underestimated because of symptoms that seem trivial. In fact, if allowed GERD can trigger other diseases such as asthma where it has been proven that the majority of people who have asthma also have GERD.
You have to know that GERD is a long-term condition. Whatever you eat returns to the esophagus, and it causes unpleasant symptoms or complications.
People with excess weight, pregnant women, smokers, and those who consume certain drugs are more at risk of experiencing it. These are 6 symptoms that you will feel if you suffer from GERD.
1. Sour taste in the mouth
This condition is usually caused by a muscle or sphincter at the top of the stomach. When it becomes weak, acid rises into the food pipe. This sour taste can last for weeks and is very disturbing, affecting the quality of your life. This problem is very common among pregnant women because there is more pressure on the stomach.
2. Regurgitation
Regurgitation is the rise of acid into your throat or mouth. You may experience bitter taste, belching, and sometimes even vomiting.
Regurgitation can occur at any time, but it becomes very disturbing at night. You can suddenly wake up with a liquid that feels bitter in your throat and a feeling of panic.
3. Heartburn
Many people may have heard of heartburn and even experienced it, but almost none of them thought that it was because they had GERD. Heartburn is the most common symptom of GERD.
Heartburn symptoms usually have a feeling of burning or discomfort in the lower middle chest after eating. This discomfort can increase when bending or lying on your back.
4. Dyspepsia
When you suffer from GERD, you may feel discomfort in the stomach, which includes nausea after eating, upper abdominal pain, belching and the stomach feels very full. Sometimes you can’t even feel hungry and don’t have appetite because of feeling full on your stomach.
5. Dysphagia
Dysphagia is where you can feel the sensation of food accumulating in your throat. This can be due to narrowing of your esophagus.
When dysphagia occurs, it can be a challenge because you can’t swallow, so you might eat not enough calories and cause additional medical problems.
6. Severe cough
Coughing is not a typical symptom of GERD, but at least 25-40 percent of cases of GERD sufferers coexist with chronic cough. In addition, you can also feel less common signs such as pain during swallowing, increased saliva, weight loss, throat irritation, bad breath, dry mouth and chest pain.
There are things you can do to reduce the symptoms of GERD if you already know you experience it. Like eating smaller portions, reducing alcohol, acidic and spicy foods and not eating before bed.
