What is Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux or gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) as it is known in the medical community, is a condition that primarily affects adults, although infants and children may suffer from it as well. Heartburn or acid indigestion are other terms that many people use when referring to acid reflux. Whether due to eating certain foods, pregnancy, or merely lying down and falling asleep too soon after a large meal, most people have suffered from acid reflux at one time or another.

What Causes It?

Acid reflux occurs when gastric acids from the stomach back up or reflux into the esophagus. The esophagus or food pipe is a narrow tube that connects the back of your mouth to your stomach. At the bottom of the esophagus there is a muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES, which acts like a valve. It opens to allow food to pass through and closes again to prevent undigested food and gastric acids from leaving the stomach and traveling back into the esophagus.

Acid reflux occurs for several reasons. There may be a biological malformation of the sphincter preventing it from opening and closing properly. The muscle may have become weakened due to diet, drugs, or other lifestyle factors, in effect losing its muscle tone. This causes the sphincter to remain open for a longer period of time than necessary and acids from the stomach may reflux into the esophagus. Other causes of acid reflux include the presence of a hiatal hernia, abnormal stomach muscle function, respiratory diseases such as asthma, and genetics. For severe cases of acid reflux, surgical procedures may be required to repair a malfunctioning LES.