What Is Acid Reflux Disease?
Acid reflux disease is another name for gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. This condition is also commonly known as heartburn where the contents of the stomach go back up the esophagus causing some discomfort or pain for the individual. The contents of the stomach that go back up the esophagus can contain bile, stomach acids as well as liquid and semisolid contents of the stomach. Acid reflux disease has many different causes most of which can be prevented or averted.
Causes Of Acid Reflux Disease
Some of the more common causes of acid reflux disease are foods that go against the person’s usual fare, overeating, wrong position during or after eating and physical conditions of the stomach and esophagus. These causes of acid reflux disease can happen to anybody but there are some people who are more prone to it than others.
Foods that can cause acid reflux disease are fatty foods and spicy foods among others. The intake of these kinds of foods should be kept at a minimum in order to prevent any occurrences of heart burn or acid reflux disease. Overeating can also cause heartburn in the sense that the stomach would be too full to be able to properly contain the food one has just ingested. Sudden movements can cause the stomach to regurgitate the overflowing food back into the esophagus. Lying down or bending after a particularly heavy meal can cause an acid reflux disease symptom to manifest.
On the other hand, having a particularly weak lower esophageal sphincter, the thing that opens and closes the stomach opening, will also contribute to acid reflux disease. This is because the sphincter to be inefficient in containing the stomach contents and preventing these from regurgitating. Another physical condition that contributes to acid reflux disease is a hiatal hernia which is a condition where the lower esophageal sphincter is located in the wrong place. In this case, the lower esophageal sphincter is located about an inch or two above its usual place.
Acid reflux disease can also be caused by a malfunction in the contractions of the esophagus as it brings down the food from the throat. This prevents the proper conveyance of food to the stomach and contributes to acid reflux disease. There are actually many causes for this malfunction, one of which is smoking. Smoking can also causes the malfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter in its opening and closing function.
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