Do you sometimes feel a sharp pain starting just below the breast bone, and then rise to the chest? Then maybe you are experiencing heartburn. Heartburn is not actually a disease, it is a symptom. There might be an underlying reason for a person who has experienced heartburn, which is the acid reflux disease. You may ask yourself what exactly is this acid reflux disease? While there are other gastrointestinal conditions such as peptic ulcer, diabetes or cancer that can contribute to the acid reflux disease. A basic knowledge of the digestive processes will play a crucial role in understanding what exactly takes place when you have this disease.

You must know that there are several ways to investigate if you are suffering from the acid reflux disease. Swallow x-rays using barium or esophageal PH monitoring within 24 hours are useful in diagnosing acid reflux. However, for more severe cases where patients are not responding positively, it may be necessary to perform an EGD or Esophagogastroduodenoscopy. This procedure is non-invasive and only aims to show the upper part of the esophagus up to the lower duodenum. Another method that helps determining if you have the acid reflux disease is through medications that control or suppress acid production.

Normally food comes from the mouth and then passes through the esophagus down to the sphincter and the stomach. If the sphincter is too weak the acid from the stomach will flow back to the esophagus. This is when the acid causes the burning pain on the chest. A lot of people from all stages of life, young and old alike have experienced this condition.

In babies, more than half have had acid reflux especially during the first three months of their lives. This goes away eventually when they get a little older. While in adults, certain factors like pregnancy makes one susceptible to this disease but it is the older adults who are more prone to this. Why? For older adults, this is usually due to the failing of the muscles that block the flow of acid from the stomach. However, with pregnant women it is different, acid reflux takes place because there is an increase in hormone production that causes a decrease of pressure in the abdomen area which also affects the sphincter. This sphincter is a group of muscles that connects the stomach and the esophagus.

If the patient responded positively and the chest pain is diminished to a large extent, chances are he or she has acid reflux. The only problem with this method is that some other diseases also exhibit the same symptoms such as vomiting, heartburn and blood on stool therefore, it is highly recommended to include the tests to further strengthen the diagnosis.

When you are diagnosed with the acid reflux disease, treatment should follow immediately, and should not be delayed. If left untreated, it may lead to more serious disorders like erosive esophagitis where the stomach acid has eroded the lining of the esophagus due to the constant acid reflux.