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Old 11-15-2004, 11:23 PM   #6
singer1
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Join Date: Nov 2003
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Re: How common is GERD and how long does it last?

Thanks everyone for the info!!!
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Old 11-20-2004, 02:10 PM   #7
TJN
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Re: How common is GERD and how long does it last?

GERD can be chronic , episodic/ come and go-- or be a one time thing, depending on the factors involved contributing to your GERD .

For some a change in diet and lifestyle modifications are all that is needed. ( for example extra weight can make the LES ( lower esophageal sphincter) temporarily not act properly because it increases ab pressure and has an adverse effect on the LES -- or there may be an offending medication that needs to be stopped) And some with GERD need meds for life. It depends on contributing factors , and there are many, such as peralistis, gastric emptying, esophageal motility , bicarbonate in saliva, symptomatic hiatal hernia, overlappng conditons etc Many people with GERD only need to be treated wth PPIS intermittantly or can step down to an H2 blocker eventually.

A barium swallow is not a good test to diagnose GERD -- it is used to rule out obstructions and structural abnormalties-- not considered a test to diagnose GERD at all. A 24 hour ph test is the difinative test for GERD if there are no erosions on endoscopy.

Everyone refluxes acid -- even those WITHOUT GERD can reflux acid up to 50 times a day. A barium swallow can pick up reflux on perfectly healthy individuals. Therefore it is not a good test for GERD. The difference between those with GERD and healthy individuals is although everyone refluxes, it takes longer for the acid to clear in those with GERD. There is longer acid exposure time to the esophagus.

PPIS do not stop reflux, they just take the acidity out of the reflux.

Barretts esophagus --- a pre curcer to cancer-- can develop from untreated GERD. It is most common in men over 50. Most people with Barretts have very mild symptoms they let go for years -- and most Barretts is diagnosed on a first endoscopy.

There is silent reflux-- it is called LPR . ( Laryngo-pharyngeal ) where acid exposure to the esophagus is normal -- but there is abnormal acid exposure to the larynx

Before people just decide to take PPIS long term they should be tested properly with a manometry and ph test-- and gastric emptying study if they have pain and nausea. . You can also have GERD symptoms with totally normal acid exposure to the esophagus. This is called sensitive esophagus. Stress is implicated in this as stress amplifies pain perception.
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Old 12-12-2004, 10:29 PM   #8
Ron
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Toronto Ont Ca
Posts: 229
Re: How common is GERD and how long does it last?

Hi All,

At first you may think that what I am posting is off-topic, but I think that anyone with
Gerd probably has a problem with Bad Breath... That is why I am reposting in this shorter string.
It would get lost in the "Bad Breath" string.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Thanatos,

I notice that this Bad Breath string is getting too hard to navigate because it is getting
so long again.

I was tempted to post in a shorter string and may still do so, even though it would be off topic.

I have read the first 70 posts and seen some people with a few good hints as
to the causes of bad breath. There are quite a few and it has become a business selling remedies to those who are suffering from the problem

One must first determine where the bad smell is originating.

Here are a few tests to try..

Have a trusted person give you some feedback...

1/ Breathe out through your mouth and see if that smells so bad to the person

2/ Close your mouth and breath out only through your nose.

3/ If there is no difference, the smell is originating in the lungs.

4/ If the smell is worse when breathing through your mouth, then one would think that it is coming from the mouth. Maybe NOT.

5/ Try to burp and have that person tell you if the smell is the same as the breath or not. If it is the same or worse then the esophagus or stomach might well be to blame.

6/ If it is different or less offensive, then the stomach and esophagus are
probably not the source.

7/ If the smelll is only bad when breathing through your nose, then you must rule out a sinus infection. A nasal swab would be a good thing to culture.
(Many people carry a Staph Aureus bacteria in their noses/sinuses and if acne is also a problem on the face, this may be the cause as well.)


If you do not have a trusted person to smell your breath, then you can get some information from a pet dog especially if they revolt from both your mouth and nose breath.

If you have a spouse or mate, they may also have the same bad breath and not notice yours very much. You may also not be offended by theirs.

Ask yourself if you have had an improvement in breath when taking antibiotics.
If so, then maybe you did not take them long enough to clear up a difficult infection. Your doctor may be willing to prescribe longer, but some are not so understanding.

If you are sexually active, you may have picked up a hard to diagnose infection from your partner... Bacteria such as Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma and Chlamydia will not culture on the usual petri dish media. If your doctor is a thinker, he will say... ""We can't find anything obvious to treat, but something
must be causing the offensive smell, so lets try a week of Zithromax which will
treat the hidden bacteria as well."" If it works, that must have been the problem. Of course, your mate may need to be treated at the same time or reinfection can easily occur .

If the smell is coming from the stomach, poor digestion, a weak or open sphincter, or a gastric infection with Helicobacter Pylori should be ruled out.
A blood test for Helicobacter Pylori or a breath test for Urea would be a big help. (The Urea smell may be the source of the bad breath.)
If that was positive, then a week of two antibiotics and an ulcer med
like prilosec or omeprazole would be the first thing to try.. This is called the
"Triple Therapy" and has been accepted treatment for at least 8 years.
Symptoms may include, belching, burping and burning in the stomach which gets better after eating for an hour or so... a white coated tongue, bad breath, and a sour taste in the mouth. If you have this... Get tested.
If your doctor will not test for HP, then you need another doctor.

If the test is negative, (which is possible) taking the triple therapy may still
be helpful because not all Helicobacter strains are detectable.

If you have hurt your esophagus in a car accident where whiplash was involved, or have injured yourself in the mid chest area while doing too many
ab-crunches, it is possible that an important sphincter called the "Lower Esophageal Sphincer" and the "Phrenoesophageal Ligament"
were damaged leaving you with a problem called acid reflux (gerd) that could be allowing stomach acid to burn the delicate esophageal tissue and cause the smell of rotting meat that is offending others. Surgery may be needed if this is the case. Sinus problems that resemble an infection can be due to
breathing these acid fumes through delicate nasal membranes.

If you need more info on such problems, do a search on "heartburn" or any of the other
words in brackets.

Ron
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Old 01-16-2005, 04:21 AM   #9
suzyshop1
Senior Veteran
(female)
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: dover,de,usa
Posts: 1,592
Re: How common is GERD and how long does it last?

Ive had gerd since my early 20s im now 48.As for how long gerd lasts all depends on whats causing it .In a high % of cases it caused by the relaxing of the les sphincter which then allows the contents of the stomach to flow upwards into the throat.Sometimes the symptoms can be relieved by losing weight if your over weight,or taking ppi's or surgery.Take care.
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