The disease is also very common in our daily life, according to statistics, 5.7 out of every 100 people in China suffer from this disease, the incidence rate in economically developed areas is even as high as 16.9%, and its incidence rate is still rising year by year; it is unfamiliar because people and even some medical workers do not understand its extra-esophageal symptoms and its severity, more than half of the patients have the disease and do not know it, the active medical treatment rate is less than 10%.
What is this disease?
This is actually gastroesophageal reflux disease. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a disease in which gastroduodenal contents and gas reflux into the esophagus, irritating the esophageal mucosa and producing symptoms such as heartburn and acid reflux, etc. If the reflux and gas reflux upward into the mouth, laryngeal trachea and/or lungs, it can cause the corresponding extraesophageal symptoms and complications.
Causes of disease.
The part of the esophagus that connects to the stomach is called the cardia, which is like a “valve”.
Normally this valve is closed, even when a person is upside down, the food and liquid in the stomach will not flow backwards into the esophagus. If this “valve” is loose, gastric acid, pepsin, bile and undigested food will easily reflux into the esophagus, and even the pharynx, mouth and nose cavity, larynx and trachea to cause a series of pathophysiological changes, and produce a series of symptoms and discomfort.
What is the cause of damage to the “valve”?
1, valve relaxation
Lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, esophageal hiatal hernia. Lowered lower esophageal sphincter pressure and excessive transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation predispose to gastroesophageal reflux and esophageal hiatal hernia are common.
2. High intragastric pressure
As a result of eating too much, too fast, indigestion and other reasons leading to high pressure in the gastric cavity, easy to break through the “valve” reflux, so reflux is likely to occur after meals.
3, bad habits
Overeating, excessive drinking, smoking, spicy stimulating food, each meal eaten very full, especially in the evening before going to bed within 2 hours to eat, lay down to sleep when the food in the stomach has not been completely digested and emptied, it is easy to cause reflux.
4.Age
It is more common in the elderly. The incidence of esophageal hiatal hernia increases with age, and esophageal hiatal hernia can reduce the ability to close the cardia. However, with the change of our national diet and increasing work pressure, middle-aged and young people have also become the key target of GERD.
5, mental
Mental tension, stress, irregular work and rest, the stomach also suffer.
6, obesity
Increase abdominal pressure, causing reflux.
7, food
Certain food drugs reduce the function of the lower esophageal sphincter: strong tea, coffee, high fat, chocolate, mint, drugs (calcium channel blockers, diazepam)
Symptoms.
The common symptoms of patients with this disease are reflux, heartburn, chest pain and other esophageal symptoms as well as esophageal erosion, scar stenosis, bleeding, Barrett’s esophagus, esophageal adenocarcinoma and other endoscopic manifestations in addition to hoarseness, sore throat, dental erosion, dry cough, throat clearing, asthma and other extraesophageal symptoms, and in severe cases, severe asthma, laryngospasm, pulmonary fibrosis symptoms and even life-threatening patients.
1.Reflux (containing gastric gas) reaches the esophagus (upper section) through the cardia
Stimulate the esophageal mucosa, causing acute and chronic inflammation can appear heartburn, belching, bleeding, retrosternal pain, back pain, hysteria, esophageal stenosis, dysphagia, esophageal tumors, etc.
2, regurgitant then upward, rushing into the laryngopharynx
Causes pain in the throat, foreign body sensation in the pharynx, hysteria, coughing mucus, hoarseness, etc.
3.To the oral cavity and nasal cavity through the pharynx
The reflux reaches the oral cavity, nasal cavity or middle ear, causing acid reflux, regurgitation, sour mouth, bitter mouth, dental erosion disease, oral ulcer, runny nose, postnasal drip, nasal congestion, tinnitus, hearing loss, etc.
4.Over the voice gate (laryngeal opening) and then impact down the trachea, bronchus, etc.
Reflux into the laryngotrachea, causing coughing, coughing, breath-holding, asthma, bronchitis, aspiration pneumonia, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, etc., and even life-threatening laryngospasm asphyxia. It is the complex and diverse manifestations of this disease that lead to “wrong clinic” and “misdiagnosis” from time to time.