Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, known as GORD, occurs when acid from the stomach leaks up into the oesophagus (gullet) and sometimes the mouth.
GORD can vary in severity – for some people, it’s a mild irritation, but for others, it can be a lifelong, severe problem. If you experience ongoing acid reflux, heartburn or indigestion several times a week, you may be suffering from GORD.
What are the symptoms of GORD?
GORD can feel like a burning sensation in the chest, caused by acid irritating the lining of the oesophagus. It can cause a bitter taste in the mouth, a sore or ‘lumpy’ feeling in the throat, hoarseness, asthma or a cough.
Commonly GORD is described as heartburn. Most people have experienced this at some point, usually after eating or drinking, but symptoms usually go away on their own.
For long-term GORD sufferers, symptoms can include:
- Acid reflux (where stomach acid comes back up into your mouth and causes an unpleasant, sour taste)
- Bad breath
- Bitter taste
- Bloating
- Feeling or being sick
- Headaches
- Heartburn (a burning sensation in the chest that occurs after eating)
- Hoarseness
- Needing to clear the throat
- Persistent cough
- Problems swallowing
- Sore throat and mouth (oesophagitis)
What causes GORD?
GORD occurs when the ring of muscle at the bottom of the oesophagus (Lower Oesophageal Sphincter or LOS) becomes weakened or stressed. When someone has GORD, the LOS doesn’t close effectively, allowing stomach acid and bile to flow upwards.
GORD can be caused by many factors – the most common being diet and lifestyle choices, obesity, stress and certain medications.
GORD can also be caused by a hiatus hernia – a condition where the stomach moves upwards into the chest because the LOS and other muscles are weak.
Pregnant women are also at risk of suffering from GORD; symptoms usually disappear once the baby is born.
How is GORD diagnosed?
If you are experiencing GORD symptoms regularly, it’s important that you get diagnosed by a medical professional. GORD is highly treatable with lifestyle changes and medication, but it’s also important to eliminate other possible illnesses with similar symptoms.
Left untreated, chronic GORD can lead to more serious conditions, so it’s important to seek help if you are experiencing GORD symptoms regularly. Stomach acid can damage your oesophagus and cause conditions such as ulcers (sores) on the oesophagus, or lead to Barret’s Oesophagus and increased risk of cancer.
When you visit your doctor, they will take a history of your symptoms and do a physical examination. You will then be diagnosed and prescribed treatments.
Sometimes your doctor may refer you for additional tests, such as an endoscopy (a thin flexible camera passed through the mouth and into the stomach). This enables your doctor to check what is going on inside your body.
Another test for GORD diagnosis is a 96-hour wireless pH device – a small capsule that measures internal acid rising up inside your oesophagus. It is placed using an endoscope and helps to assess what’s going on inside you, and which GORD treatments would be best.
How is GORD treated?
In most cases, GORD can be treated successfully. Often, the best treatment for GORD is a combination of lifestyle changes with over-the-counter antacid tablets and liquids. However, stronger medications may be needed if you are taking these several times a week.
In severe cases, short courses of medicines called proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) can be effective. These work by reducing the production of stomach acid.
However, stomach acid is not the only cause of GORD. Pepsin, a digestive enzyme, may also contribute to symptoms. Specialist tests may be needed to analyse levels of pepsin in the saliva and prescribe alternative treatments.
In cases where medication has been unsuccessful, anti-reflux surgery may be an option to stop stomach acid leaking into your oesophagus.
Lifestyle changes to reduce GORD symptoms
Many GORD sufferers can do a great deal to help themselves. By following these lifestyle changes, you may find that your symptoms are greatly reduced or fully resolved:
- Eliminate or reduce – fatty, rich and spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine and fizzy drinks. These can irritate the stomach.
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals to reduce pressure on the IOS.
- Keep a food diary: discover which (if any) foods trigger your symptoms.
- Lose weight – being overweight can increase abdominal pressure and worsen symptoms.
- Avoid lying down after eating – this can greatly increase symptoms of GORD.
- Elevate the head of your bed – this will use gravity to help prevent GORD symptoms; especially GORD cough.
- Take probiotics – these have been shown to improve gut health and reduce symptoms of GORD.
- Quit smoking – nicotine can weaken the LOS muscle.
- Wear looser fitting clothes.
- Reduce stress – a major contributory factor in GORD
- Medication review – some may be causing or worsening GORD; discuss this with your healthcare provider.
When to see a doctor for GORD
If you experience GORD symptoms regularly, it’s important to seek medical help. A GORD specialist is a gastroenterologist who will be able to diagnose and treat your GORD symptoms, reducing pain and discomfort and avoiding long-term problems.
Book your GORD appointment here
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