GERD, Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease, is often, in ignorance, the digestive disorder from which millions of French people suffer.
This is one of the very first symptoms of which the French complain. And it’s called GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux, this probably does not evoke anything very precise. On the other hand, heartburn, heartburn or regurgitation, we are there in the daily life of millions of people. Because it is this gastroesophageal reflux that complains, it seems, one in five French people.
Having heartburn after a meal that is too heavy or foods that are a little too acidic, everyone has experienced this at some point in their life. The heartburns of “everyone” are part of the life of the 10 million French people who regularly go to see a doctor to get rid of these burns which ruin their lives, especially at night.
For anyone who has never really suffered from heartburn, it’s hard to understand how painful it can be… It’s a disease called GERD!
Nothing to do with the ulcer
A stomach ulcer is a sore in the wall of the stomach. Whereas with reflux, it is, in fact, the passage of part of the contents of the stomach – which contains acid – into the esophagus, which is the pipe which connects this stomach to the stuffy. The esophagus is not specially made to receive acid, which is not the case of the stomach, protected like a sink. The esophagus is more of a carpet atmosphere. It reacts by suffering, like the skin during a burn.
There exists between the stomach and the esophagus a valve, a valve, which prevents the contents of the stomach from going up. We do not really know why, in the case of reflux, this valve does not play its role well.
Doctors, who have long neglected this all-too-common complaint from their patients, have now decided to take this ailment seriously. First, because the frequency increases. Because we are often too fat, we take certain drugs that are toxic to our stomach, such as anti-inflammatories, or simply because clothes are too tight. Then, in 10 to 15% of French people, this reflux significantly disrupts the quality of life. And in those who suffer at least once a week from untreated reflux, the risk of stomach cancer is multiplied by 7. Results to be taken very seriously, especially since solutions exist.
GERD is treatable
He can first avoid himself. Apart from the usual advice – stop smoking, reduce alcohol, lose weight – which you are probably a little tired of hearing repeated, and which are not extraordinarily effective on reflux, the most useful measure consists of raising the head of the bed with wedges, sleeping with several pillows. Thus, in case of reflux, the acid does not remain too long in the esophagus.
There are also a lot of drugs, judging by all the advertisements that we see on our TV screens or in the newspapers. Advertisements for the simplest, over-the-counter products: antacids and drugs that speed up stomach emptying and strengthen valve tone. In fact, the effective treatment is products that reduce or suppress the production of acid by the stomach. Today available in the form of generics, therefore inexpensive. Gastroesophageal reflux is an unnecessary suffering. Speak without delay with your general practitioner if you suffer from it.
