GERD

Summary

Your esophagus is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) happens when a muscle at the end of your esophagus does not close properly. This allows stomach contents to leak back, or reflux, into the esophagus and irritate it.

You may feel a burning in the chest or throat called heartburn. Sometimes, you can taste stomach fluid in the back of the mouth. If you have these symptoms more than twice a week, you may have GERD. You can also have GERD without having heartburn. Your symptoms could include a dry cough, asthma symptoms, or trouble swallowing.

Anyone, including infants and children, can have GERD. If not treated, it can lead to more serious health problems. In some cases, you might need medicines or surgery. However, many people can improve their symptoms by:

• Avoiding alcohol and spicy, fatty or acidic foods that trigger heartburn
• Eating smaller meals
• Not eating close to bedtime
• Losing weight if needed
• Wearing loose-fitting clothes

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

• ABCs of GERD
• Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and GERD: What’s the Difference?

Start Here

• Acid Reflux (GER and GERD) in Adults National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Find an Expert

• American College of Gastroenterology American College of Gastroenterology
• ASGE: Find a Doctor American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
• Find a Gastroenterologist American College of Gastroenterology
• Find a SAGES Surgeon Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Patient Handouts

• Anti-reflux surgery Medical Encyclopedia
• Bland diet Medical Encyclopedia
• Gastroesophageal reflux – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease Medical Encyclopedia
• Swallowing problems Medical Encyclopedia
• Taking antacids Medical Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia

• Anti-reflux surgery – children Medical Encyclopedia
• Anti-reflux surgery – children – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
• Anti-reflux surgery – discharge Medical Encyclopedia
• Bernstein test Medical Encyclopedia
• Esophageal manometry Medical Encyclopedia
• Esophageal pH monitoring Medical Encyclopedia
• Esophagitis Medical Encyclopedia
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease – children Medical Encyclopedia
• Lower esophageal ring (Schatzki) Medical Encyclopedia

Diagnosis and Tests

• Barium Swallow National Library of Medicine
• Esophageal pH Test National Library of Medicine
• Upper GI Endoscopy National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Upper GI X-Ray Radiological Society of North America
• What Is a pH Probe Study? North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastroesophageal Reflux National Institutes of Health

Related Issues

• Esophageal Spasms Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (and Asthma) American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
• GERD, Barrett’s Esophagus and the Risk for Esophageal Cancer American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
• GERD: Can Certain Medications Make It Worse? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Indigestion (Dyspepsia) American Academy of Family Physicians
• Non-Cardiac Chest Pain American College of Gastroenterology
• Reflux and Lung Disease National Jewish Health

Treatments and Therapies

• Feeling the Burn? Options for Acid Reflux National Institutes of Health
• Fundoplication North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
• Gastroesophageal reflux – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia
• Understanding Esophageal Dilation American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Teenagers

• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (For Teens) Nemours Foundation

Journal Articles

• GERD

Children

• Reflux in Children: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine
• Reflux in Infants: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine