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Heartburn Heartburn Basics

Coping with the Heartbreak of Heartburn

Summary & Participants

Millions of people suffer from GERD, or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. But many don't recognize the symptoms.

Medically Reviewed On: August 06, 2008

Webcast Transcript

Sherry, GERD Patient: The joy of eating is taken away because "Oh, what you're gonna eat might give you heartburn" or, you know, you can't eat this and you can't eat that”

ANNOUNCER: And Sherry’s not the only one missing out on her favorite foods.

Anthony Starpoli, MD, Gastroenterologist: A good number is to think of almost 10% of the U.S. population having heartburn on a daily basis. It’s a huge number. Millions and millions and millions of patients suffer from reflux.

ANNOUNCER: Serious acid reflux - or GERD for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease -can strike when the muscle at the top of the stomach is too relaxed.

Anthony Starpoli, MD, Gastroenterologist: Some of the foodstuffs that they ate travel back up into their esophagus, a sensation that things did not digest well. It’s not really an issue of digestion, it’s an issue of regurgitation.

ANNOUNCER: Typical GERD symptoms include heartburn, chest pain, regurgitation and difficulty swallowing. There are also a number of possible GERD symptoms that may surprise you.

Anthony Starpoli, MD, Gastroenterologist: You have the atypical manifestations that people are not so aware about; cough, asthma - you can have sinusitis, laryngitis or hoarseness.

ANNOUNCER: And untreated GERD can lead to serious complications like precancerous conditions in the esophagus. While just about everyone has GERD-like symptoms at some point, it’s how often you have them that matters.

Anthony Starpoli, MD, Gastroenterologist: If you have symptoms regularly two times a week or more, we would consider that significant reflux that warrants an investigation.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily.