“Is acid reflux really a serious problem?”
There is a tendency for many people to think “A little heartburn is normal. It’s no big deal.”
That attitude may be appropriate for some but very risky for others. Here are some things to look for in deciding which situation you’re in.
To begin consider is the degree of the symptoms. Although it’s not 100% true, possibly severe episodes of reflux are often associated with more severe symptoms.
The next thing to consider is how often the problems come up. If symptoms only occur twice a year, that’s very different from when symptoms come up every day.
Remember that the discomfort associated with of acid reflux are caused by acid refluxing out the stomach where it belongs into the esophagus. The esophagus is injured by this acid. That damage can lead to quite severe complications.
I don’t want to go into gory detail here but if you’re interested you can find out more about the possible complications of GERD at: Complications of Acid Reflux.
Another symptom that should lead someone to seek medical treatment is if they have a respiratory symptom along with their GERD. These respiratory problems can include asthma, wheezing, coughing or recurrent colds and bronchitis.
The respiratory symptoms come up because it’s possible for the stomach acid to back up all the way to the upper esophagus where it can irritate the throat and larynx and even go down the trachea. It’s clear that Obviously, having acid going into your windpipe isn’t a good thing.
I think with any medical problem information is your friend.
A good site that I found for information on acid reflux is Treat Acid Reflux Now
You may particularly be interested in their page Is GERD Dangerous?
It’s important not to assume that acid reflux is just trivial problems that you should just live with. Certainly if you have any of the issues I described here you should get a medical evaluation rather than ignoring symptoms.
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