Nighttime acid reflux, as well as atypical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD (cough, hoarseness, asthma-like symptoms) is associated with significant impairment of sleep. A recent study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology showed that sleep impairment was more common among people with GERD than those... Read more
As to whether there is any definitive test to diagnose reflux disease, the gold standard for diagnosing reflux is a 24-hour pH monitor. The reason for that is that while an upper endoscopy can show the presence of esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus); most patients with symptoms of reflux do not have esophagitis on endoscopy. That is... Read more
What effect does acid reflux have on the lungs? Acid reflux can cause pulmonary complications such as cough, asthma and aspiration. Refluxed liquid can cause coughing by stimulating nerves that provoke coughing. Additionally, reflux into the lower esophagus can stimulate esophageal nerves that connect to and can stimulate nerves going... Read more
Is there a potential relationship between acid reflux and cancer?
The most significant complication of acid reflux disease is esophageal cancer. About 10 percent of patients with acid reflux develop Barrett's esophagus. Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the normal esophagus lining transforms to the normal stomach lining as a... Read more
Do acid reflux medications have any side effects?
Proton pump inhibitors generally have very few side effects. The most common are headache and diarrhea which occur in about 5 percent of patients. Other rare side effects are abdominal pain, constipation, itching, dizziness, swollen ankles, muscle and joint pains, blurred vision, rash and... Read more
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