Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptoms

GERD is a digestive disorder that affects the esophagus and stomach. To learn more about gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, read on.

Marcy Ralston often felt a burning pain in her chest after eating a meal. When she would lie down, the pain got worse. She often had a bitter taste in her mouth, too. She thought it was heartburn. Then she learned from her doctor that heartburn was a symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

What is gastroesophageal reflux disease?

With normal digestion, your lower esophageal sphincter opens to allow food to pass into your stomach and then closes to prevent food and acidic stomach juices from flowing back into your esophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when acidic juices from your stomach flow back into your esophagus.

Also called GERD, Ralston’s doctor told her that gastroesophageal reflux disease is a chronic form of acid reflux. “He told me that since I had acid reflux more than twice a week, what I actually was suffering from is gastroesophageal reflux,” she said.

What are common gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms?

• Heartburn or chest pain
• Bad breath
• Damage to tooth enamel due to excess acid in your body
• Vomiting
• Bad or sour tasting fluid in your mouth
• A persistent dry cough
• Asthma
• Having difficulty swallowing
• Feeling pain when swallowing
• Feeling that your symptoms increased after eating, bending over, or lying down

Acid reflux has many of the same symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease. “I wanted to learn what causes acid reflux and its symptoms,” she said.

Next: What causes acid reflux? >>