Gastroesophageal reflux can easily cause many dangerous complications.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition of occasional or frequent reflux of gastric juice into the esophagus. The disease causes many dangerous complications.

MSc. Dr. Le Thi Tuyet Phuong - Head of the Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, People's Hospital 115 said that people with TNDDTQ are at risk of laryngeal cancer, chronic sinusitis, otitis media with effusion, reflux esophagitis, esophageal ulcers or bleeding, esophageal stricture, esophageal cancer, and even sudden death in children.

The cause of the disease is due to the stimulation of substances in the stomach such as HIC, pepsin, bile... with the esophageal mucosa, causing symptoms and complications: ulcers, stenosis, bleeding, cancer. Cirrhosis is one of the favorable factors that make patients more susceptible to TNDDTQ. In addition, there are other factors such as alcohol, tobacco; internal diseases: diabetes, obesity, metabolic disorders...; stressful work, unreasonable diet; pregnant women or some types of drugs.

Only 14-20% of the symptoms of the disease are typical such as heartburn, reflux, difficulty swallowing, esophagitis. About 80-86% of the remaining symptoms are atypical, easily confused with other diseases, such as asthma, chronic cough, increased mucus secretion, pneumonia, non-cardiac chest pain, hoarseness, phlegm, itchy palate, difficulty swallowing, painful swallowing, speech disorders, earache, middle ear discharge, tooth enamel damage, gingivitis, mouth ulcers, bad breath, increased salivation...

According to MSc. Dr. Le Thi Tuyet Phuong, there are currently three treatment methods: non-drug, drug, and surgery. The goal of treatment is to help patients eliminate symptoms, recover from damage and complications, and prevent disease recurrence. However, with TNDDTQ in patients with liver disease, the treatment steps will be more difficult because cirrhosis must also be treated. Cirrhosis causes many dangerous complications such as gastrointestinal bleeding due to ruptured esophageal veins, reduced resistance, and hepatic coma. Therefore, only when patients strictly comply with liver disease treatment, so that the disease does not cause complications, will the possibility of recurrence and the risk of complications of TNDDTQ be reduced.

With the non-drug method, patients need to change their lifestyle. First of all, avoid eating foods high in fat, fried foods, chocolate, tomatoes, lemons, excessively spicy foods, alcohol, carbonated soft drinks, and coffee. Avoid eating about three hours before bedtime. While sitting down to eat, keep your body straight and avoid bending forward. Do not eat too much, but eat several meals a day. Do not lie down or go to bed immediately after eating.

When lying down, keep your head elevated 15-20cm. Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight. Exercise regularly to maintain a healthy weight. Avoid taking certain medications: anti-inflammatory pain relievers such as aspirin, sedatives, calcium channel blockers (amlor), birth control pills (progesterone)… because these medications relax the lower esophageal sphincter.

Surgery is indicated in cases that do not respond or respond poorly to medical treatment. Cases with complications of esophageal stricture can be treated with endoscopic esophageal dilation.

According to AloBacsi.vn