The Dangers of GERD and Acid Reflux
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009“Is GERD really a serious problem?”
A lot of people think “Oh, it’s only heartburn. I’ll just take some antacid and live with it.”
That attitude may be appropriate for some but very risky for others. Here are some things to look for in deciding which category you’re in.
The first thing to take into account is the severity of the symptoms. Although it’s not 100% true, possibly dangerous cases of GERD do tend to cause more severe discomfort.
Next, consider the frequency of symptoms. If a person only has pain every several months, that’s less likely to be associated with serious disease than when symptoms are more frequent.
Remember that the symptoms of acid reflux result from acid backing up from the stomach into the esophagus. Since the esophagus wasn’t designed to handle gastric acid, the acid damages it. That damage can cause to quite significant problems.
I’m not going to list them here but I suggest you find out more about the various problems caused by GERD at: Complications of Acid Reflux.
Another serious sign that indicates medical evaluation is needed is if they have a respiratory problem along with their GERD. These respiratory problems might include asthma, wheezing, coughing or recurrent colds and bronchitis.
These respiratory symptoms come up because in some people of these reflux can be so severe the acid actually backs up all the way to the top of the esophagus and spills over into the trachea. It’s clear that Obviously, having acid going into your larynx, windpipe and lungs might do some damage.
I think with any health issue you should gather as much information as you can in addition to relying on your doctor.
A good site that I found for information on acid reflux is Treat Acid Reflux Now
Since you’ve read this, you’d probably be interested in their page Is GERD Dangerous?
It’s important not to assume that Gerd and reflux are just trivial problems that you can ignore. Certainly if you have any of the issues I described here you should get a medical evaluation rather than ignoring symptoms.