The words heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD are so closely related that they almost seem to run together and mean the same things. However, once heartburn or acid reflux becomes GERD, you have much more than just a “common” problem. GERD might as well be the third level of severity when it comes to acid problems.
This means your heartburn symptoms have included more than just a little acid reflux. It’s also possibly causing weight loss, wheezing and vomiting. Another common characteristic of GERD is that swallowing has become difficult. This is all usually taking place after heartburn pills have quit working and your symptoms have become more frequent.
The key here is making sure your heartburn or acid reflux problem is properly treated. It may seem like an extreme case, but GERD might actually be more common than you think. According to WebMD, if there are 100 people who experience regular heartburn over a set of years…10 of them would develop GERD. One out of 10 of those people would develop esophageal cancer.
The reasons for the condition to reach such extremes isn’t hard to understand. The consistent bombardment of acid on your throat or esophagus eventually takes its toll. Specifically, it can weaken and erode the esophagus and sometimes lead to the formation of ulcers along the lining. This can throw your entire digestive process into chaos, leading to larger health problems.
Again, the key is to recognize just how serious the problem can get and not let consistent symptoms go untreated. If you think your heartburn or acid reflux problems might need some medical analysis, call us at Houston Heartburn at 832-945-8717 or contact us here.