Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD for short, is a condition in which bile, acid, and even undigested food backs up from the stomach into the esophagus. This is an extremely painful and troublesome condition that can, at time be debilitating. More often than not, GERD is usually misdiagnosed as simple heartburn. But, how do you know if you have GERD? Below is a list of the ten most common Gerd symptoms that people experience.

Symptom # 1 — Frequent Heartburn
Many people will suffer from heartburn at some point in their life, but people with GERD have heartburn frequently, usually more than 3 times per week and it begins after a meal. Heartburn is a burning sensation in the middle of the chest, abdomen, neck, and sometimes the back.

Symptom #2 — Sore Throat and Hoarseness
In cases where GERD is severe, the acid can actually reach the throat causing soreness and hoarseness. Sometimes, it can also result in laryngitis.

Symptom #3 — Bad Breath
With acid and undigested food constantly being pushed up towards your throat and mouth, it would stand to reason that this could cause foul smelling breath.

Symptom #4 — Nausea
Again, with all this rancid stuff being pushed up it can lead to feelings of nausea and occasional vomiting.

Symptom #5 — Chronic Cough
It is common for a person with GERD to have a dry couch, especially at night. Unfortunately, it is not clear why a cough is aggravated by GERD.

Symptom #6 — Asthma
Many of the nerves stimulated by acid reflux also stimulate the lungs causing the the smaller breathing tubes to be narrow which leads to an asthma attack.

Symptom #7 — Chest Pain and Discomfort
All of the major organs involved with GERD are located in the chest area. Combine that with the chronic cough and asthma, your chest can begin to hurt.

Symptom #8 — Bitter Taste in the Mouth
Bile and acid are naturally bitter and when they are entering your throat or mouth, it will result in a bitter taste.

Symptom #9 — Recurrent and Chronic Indigestion
Typically, people who exibit many of the other GERD symptoms will also experience this one which is manifested by burping and bloating.

Symptom #10 — Feeling of a Lump in Your Throat
People have continuously reported feeling like they have a lump in their throat, which can make it difficult to swallow and at time, breathe.

Symptom #11 — Insomnia
The inability to sleep. This is probably a result of the chronic cough at night and the difficulty breathing.

Symptom #12 — Sleep Apnea
This is a condition in which a person will repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night. Although this is a disease in and of itself, it is considered a GERD symptom because of the other symptoms that can lead to this.

In addition to these common GERD symptoms that people with any severity of GERD can experience, people who suffer from the most extreme cases of GERD can also be prone to some of these other GERD symptoms:

1. Esophagitis — This is an inflammation of the esophagus.
2. Barrett’s Esopahus — This is a precancerous condition.
3. Esophageal Cancer — Cancer of the esophagus.
4. Bleeding and ulcers in the esophagus.
5. Severe dental problems associated with the stomach acid coming into contact with the tooth enamel.

Of course these GERD symptoms are rare and only occur in the most extreme of cases. Therefore, it is important to talk to your doctor if you are experiencing any of these GERD symptoms so that you can begin treatment to avoid some of these more serious conditions.

Related Posts

• Heartburn
• How To Distinguish Symptoms Of Gerd
• GERD Symptoms
• Would these be considered symptoms of acid reflux?
• Acid Heartburn
• Gastric Reflux Symptoms
• What is GERD?

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