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Welcome to Living Healthy Chicago.
I'm Jane Klaus.
Let's start things off today talking about GERD.
It's a health condition
that affects millions of Americans.
It's uncomfortable,
and it can become a serious issue
if it's left untreated.
So I met up with gastroenterologists
Dr. Nikos Christopoulos
to get a better understanding of GERD
and what you can do to find relief.
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Dr. Christopoulos, thank you so much for joining us today.
Let's start by answering the question,
what is GERD.
- Well, Jane
GERD is an acronym for gastroesophageal reflux disease,
That's symptoms from acid moving
up out of our stomach,
up into our esophagus,
which is the muscular tube
that transfers food from our mouths
into our stomach.
GERD is very common.
I think it's probably underdiagnosed,
if you will.
I bet many people probably don't mention it
to their doctors,
but I think somewhere in the range
of 20 to 40 percent of people,
especially in the United States,
probably have symptoms of GERD.
- So a lot of people have heard of GERD,
and a lot of people have heard of acid reflux.
Are they related or one in the same?
- They're essentially almost one in the same,
but acid reflux is somewhat
of a symptom of GERD.
Acid reflux is a component of GERD.
It's when the flow
of acid or (indistinct)the digestive mix,
if you will,
can move its way up the esophagus
into either your throat or your mouth.
It can give you that bitter taste,
sense of regurgitation,
or even sour taste in your mouth.
- So talk about the symptoms of GERD.
- Well, some of the symptoms of GERD,
most commonly,
heartburn,
or like we were just talking about,
when things move all the way up into your throat.
There's other symptoms that can happen.
There can be a cough.
There can be chest pain,
frequent throat clearing.
You can be hoarse in your voice.
- What causes GERD?
- Well, GERD is typically caused
by the lower part of the esophagus
either relaxing too much
or too frequently.
That muscle,
if it relaxes too much,
it allows acid to come up into our esophagus
and sometimes cause symptoms.
- If they don't take care of it,
or they don't get help,
what can happen?
- GERD can have many complications,
and some of the things can be ulcerations
in the esophagus.
These ulcerations can cause bleeding.
The ulcerations can scar down the esophagus
and cause a narrowing in the esophagus,
where,
if you try to eat food,
the food might not pass.
It might get stuck in the chest.
Also it can lead to a precancerous condition,
something called Barrett's esophagus.
- So when is it time to see a professional?
When should we seek help?
- I think it's important to see a doctor
if you're having frequent symptoms,
if you've had them for a long time,
if your symptoms are severe or intense,
and you've not had them for that long,
if you're taking medications for it,
and they're not getting better.
There's a procedure called an upper endoscopy.
That's commonly used to assess acid reflux
and assess if there's any complications of it.
They're in a very comfortable,
sort of, twilight-type sleep.
We pass a flexible camera down their throat,
into their esophagus,
into the stomach.
If they have bleeding,
sometimes we can treat the bleeding.
If there's a narrowing,
we can stretch that narrowing over.
- Treatment for the person
who has infrequent acid reflux,
what can they do to manage?
- Certainly, diet and lifestyle is critical
in managing most health problems.
Losing weight is really important.
It'll help with symptoms of GERD.
Elevating the heads of our bed.
That helps gravity work in your favor
to control symptoms of reflux.
Avoiding alcohol,
quitting smoking,
you know.
Our saliva is important in actually clearing acid
from our esophagus,
and smoking dries out our mouth.
Avoiding heavy tomato sauces,
heavy cream sauces,
chocolate,
and, unfortunately,
coffee, as well.
I think it's important to remember that GERD is very common.
If anybody has any concerns or any worries
about some of their symptoms,
they should see their physician.
- Great information.
Thank you so much,
Dr. Christopoulos.
- Thank you.
- All right, if you want more information
into the world of health,
just head to our website, living healthy tv.com.