1 By: David Zhou, Gregory Jo, and Adam Carbone GERD

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3 What is Happening?  Your stomach is filled with acid. Its purpose is to help digest the food you eat. Believe it or not, this acid is the same acidity as battery acid. Your stomach is built to handle the acid it produces. However, your esophagus isn’t. So when acid backs up into your esophagus, it can cause the burning sensation known as heartburn.

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7 What triggers GERD?  Certain foods or drinks  Smoking  Being overweight  Eating too much  Bending over after eating  Lying down less than 3 hours after meals

8 Symptoms?  Heartburn  Dry cough  Asthma symptoms  Swallowing problems

9 How to treat GERD?  Antacids neutralize stomach acid Antacids  Mucosal protective agents protect the lining of the esophagus Mucosal protective agents Mucosal protective agents  Promotility agents cause the stomach to empty faster Promotility agents Promotility agents  Acid-suppressive agents reduce the amount of acid the stomach makes Acid-suppressive agents Acid-suppressive agents

10 How to Permanently treat GERD?  Losing Weight  Stop Smoking  Wearing loose-fitting clothing  Eating smaller meals  Waiting at least 3 hours before lying down after eating  Avodiding food: chocolate, peppermint, alcoholic drinks, caffeinated beverages, and citrus drinks.

11 Long Term effects of GERD  Inflammation of the esophagus  Damaging of Esophageal Tissue  Cause of bleeding and Ulcers  Cause of Barrett’s Esophagus  Cause of Esophageal Cancer  Attributes to difficulty swallowing, asthma, chronic cough, pulmonary fibrosis

12 Disease related to GERD  Barrett’s Esophagus is commonly linked to chronic GERD because it involves the permanent changes to cells, based on how GERD affects the esophagus.

13 Sources  rd/ reflux_disease_gerd/article.htm rd/ reflux_disease_gerd/article.htm rd/ reflux_disease_gerd/article.htm  60/the_most_common_digestive_disorders.html 60/the_most_common_digestive_disorders.html 60/the_most_common_digestive_disorders.html