Acid Reflux Symptoms & Warning Signs

Symptoms & Warning Signs

Symptoms

Acid reflux affects both adults and children. With adults, symptoms are easier to recognize. Most commonly, adults will feel heartburn, which produces sensations of intense pain in the chest. The pain might intensify with changes in position such as lying down or bending. Medications such as antacids might help with pain.

Additionally, symptoms of nausea and vomiting might develop. When vomiting, a person might also regurgitate bits of food or feel as though food is stuck in the upper chest. Other symptoms include difficulty swallowing and salivation. Blood in the vomit indicates potentially serious esophageal or stomach damage.

Chronic or persistent symptoms are a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which can eventually cause long-term injury. In the case of esophageal injury, respiratory symptoms might develop. Chronic cough, hoarseness, asthma, dental problems, damaged teeth, and sinus problems are indicative of potential damage to the esophagus.

Symptoms may worsen or improve at night. With supine acid reflux, symptoms become worse when a person is lying down and sleeping. With upright acid reflux, symptoms begin when a person is conscious. For both types, symptoms will vary based on their duration and intensity. Both types of acid reflux can indicate the presence of GERD.

Certain foods may trigger the onset of symptoms. These include greasy foods, meats that are high in fat, butter, mayonnaise, cream-based sauce, salad dressing, chocolate, dairy products, and beverages with caffeine. Citrus and acidic foods can increase stomach acid production.

For infants and children, symptoms of GERD are more difficult to identify. Children might experience frequent vomiting, an inability to gain weight, crying, belching, and uncontrollable couching. Some young children will not vomit because the stomach contents will travel up and this back down. This type of acid reflux can create double the potential for damage since acid is traveling to the esophagus twice. It is believed that most children eventually outgrow acid reflux when their sphincter matures. In cases when there is a family history for GERD, children are less likely to outgrow the condition.

Warning Signs

Barrett's esophagus is a condition that results from excessive heartburn. The normal esophageal lining becomes damaged and replaced with a lining that is typical in the intestines. Those with Barrett's esophagus are likely to develop cancer. Cancer of the esophagus tends to be more common among men than women. Weight loss, pain while eating, problems swallowing, and blood in the vomit are symptom of Barrett's esophagus.