Nonerosive Reflux Disease (NERD) - Definition, Diagnosis and Treatment

Non Erosive Reflux Disease has been recognized as a form of GERD only in the recent decade and is considered an important achievement of help the patients of specific type of GERD to get the right treatment. While the definition of NERD has not changed over the years but its better recognition has not enabled the doctors to correctly identify the patients of NERD and make the count right. With Esophageal Impedence +pH monitoring it has become easy now to diagnose and assess the patients of NERD. Though therapeutic modalities still focus on acid suppression treatments but there is a growing awareness among the medical community at large that other therapeutic strategies should also be considered for NERD.

Read More

Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease- Causes, Treatments and Medical tests

Refractory Gastroesophageal Reflux disease is used to refer to those patients with GERD who are unresponsive to treatment from proton pump inhibitors. Such patients are divided into two categories by the doctors:

• One those who have an aggressive form of GERD
• Other those who have GERD as a symptom of some other disease

A more aggressive treatment of Refractory GERD treatment does not necessarily mean that it has to be surgery. In fact, truth be told, people with refractory GERD do not respond too well to the surgery compared to the success rate in people who have previously responded well to medications. However that does mean that surgery won't work for you at all. Treatments like fundolication work for most people but the surgeon has to weigh the risk and complications of the surgery with the possible advantages to patient before taking the final decision.

Read More

Different types of Acid Reflux Disease

Most people know what Acid Reflux or the medical term for it- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) is having experienced it during some part of their life. You would rarely find anyone who has not experienced it at least once in their lifetime. However, what most people are not aware of are the types of GERD that occur. You see, Heartburn can be due to different types of of Acid Reflux. Let us see these different types of GERD:

Read More

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease - GERD - What is Acid Reflux and causes

When you swallow food, it goes from your mouth to your food pipe (esophagus) and then into your stomach where the main digestion begins. After your meal has passed the esophagus, the lower muscles in your esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) closes off cutting the contact between the stomach and the food pipe. However, under certain conditions this muscle is not able to do its work properly due to few reasons- Too much acidic content in your stomach, less than the idea level of acid concentration in stomach and delay in the clearing of your food from esophagus.

When this acidic content is 'refluxed' back to your esophagus it causes a burning sensation. This reflux can send the acidic content even up to the back of your mouth. This happens to all of us occasionally and not a thing to worry about unless it happens more than once in a week. If acid reflux is happening too often then it can cause severe problem to your esophagus in the long run.

Read More