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SUNDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthScout) -- They've given an appropriately unpleasant-sounding acronym -- GERD -- to one of the more uncomfortable conditions many of us experience: gastroesophageal reflux disease.
The painful, acid-related disease affects nearly 21 million Americans, and since diet and lifestyle are major contributors to GERD, experts say there's no better time than just before the holidays to talk about the condition.
"We decided to focus on GERD around the holidays because people tend to think of heartburn in a very nonchalant way," says Nancy Norton, president of the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. "We want to raise the awareness that heartburn is a symptom of GERD, and if it's occurring often enough, you should see a doctor."
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GERD occurs when harsh stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, or food tube. Symptoms can vary, but they always include heartburn, says Dr. Anthony A. Starpoli, an attending physician and director of the GERD unit at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City.
"The typical symptom would be heartburn, a burning beneath the breastbone, and regurgitation, which is the effortless movement of stomach contents into the esophagus and sometimes the mouth," Starpoli says.
"Other symptoms can include hoarseness, chronic asthma, noncardiac chest pain and a chronic cough," he says.
While most of us experience heartburn at one time or another, the time to see a doctor is when the symptoms occur more than once a week, Norton says.
"The things you should look at are whether it's occurring more than once a week, if it wakes you up at night, and if you've had it for longer than five years," she says. "And even if it's less occasional heartburn, if that's been going on for more than five years, you still need to go to a physician to have it checked out."
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