Sherry, GERD Patient:
The joy of eating is taken away because "Oh, what you're gonna eat might give you heartburn" or, you know, you can't eat this and you can't eat that”
ANNOUNCER:
And Sherry’s not the only one missing out on her favorite foods.
Anthony Starpoli, MD, Gastroenterologist:
A good number is to think of almost 10% of the U.S. population having heartburn on a daily basis. It’s a huge number. Millions and millions and millions of patients suffer from reflux.
ANNOUNCER:
Serious acid reflux - or GERD for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease -can strike when the muscle at the top of the stomach is too relaxed.
Anthony Starpoli, MD, Gastroenterologist:
Some of the foodstuffs that they ate travel back up into their esophagus, a sensation that things did not digest well. It’s not really an issue of digestion, it’s an issue of regurgitation.
ANNOUNCER:
Typical GERD symptoms include heartburn, chest pain, regurgitation and difficulty swallowing. There are also a number of possible GERD symptoms that may surprise you.
Anthony Starpoli, MD, Gastroenterologist:
You have the atypical manifestations that people are not so aware about; cough, asthma - you can have sinusitis, laryngitis or hoarseness.
ANNOUNCER:
And untreated GERD can lead to serious complications like precancerous conditions in the esophagus. While just about everyone has GERD-like symptoms at some point, it’s how often you have them that matters.
Anthony Starpoli, MD, Gastroenterologist:
If you have symptoms regularly two times a week or more, we would consider that significant reflux that warrants an investigation.
ANNOUNCER:
Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.
