Current problem
For most people, heartburn is simply an occasional discomfort. Approximately 20% of the population of highly developed countries experience it at least once a month.
But for the 6% of people who have a chronic form of heartburn known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), unresolved (untreated) symptoms can lead to various health complications. People with erosions in the lining of the esophagus due to acid reflux often do not realize the harm of GERD until they have advanced stages of the disease.
If you experience frequent or prolonged heartburn (twice a week on a regular basis), consult your doctor. Here are nine reasons why you shouldn't ignore the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Development of inflammation in the esophagus (esophagitis)
In gastroesophageal reflux disease, food, acid, and digestive juices back up into the esophagus. Over time, this causes irritation and swelling of the mucous membrane lining the inside of the esophagus. This is esophagitis. If acid exposure in the esophagus is observed for just a few weeks, then inflammation of the mucous membrane can already develop. This can cause discomfort and even pain along the midline of the abdominal wall, “in the pit of the stomach,” where the right and left ribs meet at the sternum. This inflammation makes the esophagus vulnerable to even more dangerous conditions - erosions or scars.
Gallbladder disorders
Sometimes dark mucus, which you have to spit out in the morning, is a symptom of gallbladder disease, for example, cholelithiasis or biliary dyskinesia.
In particular, if a patient has stagnation of bile or excessive production of such a substance, it can rise into the esophagus and be thrown into the oral cavity. This liquid has a specific brownish color and, naturally, stains saliva.
With pathologies of the gallbladder, saliva acquires an unpleasant bitter taste; in addition, the patient may be bothered by other health problems:
- Pain and/or heaviness in the right hypochondrium.
- Appetite disorders.
- Nausea.
- Problems with stool - either constipation or diarrhea.
Diagnosis and treatment of gallbladder diseases is most often carried out by a gastroenterologist. But if the above-described complaints are present, the patient is recommended to first go to see a therapist.
Esophageal stricture
If esophagitis continues for too long, the resulting scar tissue can narrow the esophagus. This stricture can lead to difficulty passing and swallowing food, which can become stuck at the level of scar tissue, causing pain.
Large pieces of food may become stuck and this situation may require endoscopic intervention to remove them. The stricture may cause frequent choking when eating. Because of this, patients often refuse to eat and lose a lot of weight.
Stricture is treated by widening or stretching the esophagus (bougienage or dilatation). These treatment procedures can have multiple effects on the stricture. But taking stomach acid blockers (proton pump inhibitors, PPIs, or H2 blockers) may prevent scarring in the esophagus from returning in the future.
Treatment
The choice of treatment strategy will depend on the identified cause. It will be aimed at normalizing the color, consistency and volume of fluid production. Most often, complex therapy is required. If it is determined that the cause is a bacterial infection, a course of antibiotics will be prescribed.
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Throat and voice problems
The main symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease is heartburn, but not all people feel or report it. They may have other symptoms that are more difficult to diagnose. Doctors call these cases "silent reflux," or asymptomatic reflux. The patient may not have heartburn as classically described in textbooks, but they may have various other problems that occur outside the esophagus, such as hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat, or chronic cough. They feel as if there is a lump or hair in their throat and constantly have to clear their throat by coughing and clearing their throat.
Risks and measures to prevent pharyngitis
Pharyngitis most often affects children and adolescents; adults also get sick, but somewhat less frequently. Also, the risks of pharyngitis increase with dry air, throat irritation from tobacco smoke or chemical reagents, allergies, weakened immunity, chronic or frequent infections of the nasopharynx.
You can reduce the likelihood of illness in the same way as in the case of other nasopharyngeal infections: wash your hands, do not drink from the same cup with others, cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing (do not “share” your viruses), wipe the screen and keyboard of phones and other devices etc.
Breathing problems
If stomach acid accidentally flows into the windpipe after gastroesophageal reflux disease causes it to enter the esophagus, GERD can worsen asthma or pneumonia. Even without lung problems, GERD can cause shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. And treatment in this situation can be a double-edged sword. Because GERD medications, such as proton pump inhibitors, may actually increase the risk of pneumonia. (They can promote bacterial growth and suppress coughing, which is designed to help clear the lungs.)
Pay your doctor's attention to your lung function when treating reflux.
Symptoms
Brown mucus that appears in the mouth after sleep may be accompanied by other symptoms. Bitterness, an unpleasant aftertaste, increased salivation, ulcers on the tongue, the inside of the cheeks, the palate and gums, dry mucous membranes, pain in the mouth, esophagus or epigastrium, and dyspeptic disorders (nausea, belching, diarrhea, flatulence) are often observed. If there is a lot of saliva, the person tries to spit it out, freeing the oral cavity. When the liquid thickens and acquires the consistency of mucus, spitting is problematic.
Esophageal ulcers
Stomach acid can erode the lining of the esophagus, causing sores and ulcers. Esophageal ulcers are different from stomach ulcers, which are usually caused by bacteria. People with wounds and sores may spit up blood and may also vomit blood. They may see blood in their stool. The blood may be red, cherry red, or like coffee particles. In stool, blood from the esophagus and stomach usually turns black when passing through the small intestine, the color and appearance of oil - viscous, slippery, and difficult to wash off.
Contact your doctor immediately if you have these symptoms. Endoscopy can detect ulcers of the esophagus. Acid-blocking or acid-lowering medications may make them disappear.
Causes
As a rule, this is a viral infection (ARVI), in some cases it is bacterial (streptococcus, pneumococcus). In addition, the cause of pharyngitis may be:
- allergies to dust, mold, pet hair, pollen. Since allergies cause a runny nose, fluid can drain down the back of the nasopharynx and irritate the throat;
- dry air, especially in the morning;
- tobacco smoke, chemical irritants;
- overstrain of the vocal cords (long performances, loud screams at sports competitions, etc.)
- gastroesophageal reflux - reflux of stomach contents back into the esophagus. May be accompanied by heartburn, a lump in the throat, and hoarseness.
- HIV. Pharyngitis may be a sign of a recent HIV infection in the body. Also, people who have been infected with HIV for a long time may experience secondary acute and chronic pharyngitis caused by cytomegalovirus, oral candidiasis and common viruses that cause acute respiratory viral infections. These complications can be dangerous in HIV-positive people.
- Malignant tumors of the throat, tongue, and trachea can also manifest as pharyngitis, coupled with hoarseness, noise when breathing, blood in saliva and sputum, and a “knot” in the neck.
Rare causes of pharyngitis can be a throat abscess and epiglottitis, a serious condition in which the epiglottis, which looks like a petal between the trachea and larynx, becomes inflamed and blocks air from entering the airways. As a rule, epiglottitis in children is caused by a hemophilus influenzae infection, against which it is necessary to vaccinate on time.
Barrett's esophagus
If left untreated for many years, persistent acid reflux can form changes in cells known as Barrett's esophagus, which is considered a precancerous condition. This condition does not cause many symptoms other than those of reflux. A doctor can diagnose it by performing an endoscopy.
If you have heartburn more than twice a week for a long time, or if you have symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease that are getting worse or you have discovered new ones that you didn't have before, these are all reasons to get checked and have an endoscopy.
Diseases of the ENT organs
Most often, diseases of the ENT organs make themselves felt throughout the day, causing quite obvious disturbances in well-being. But a sluggish inflammatory process and some infections can make themselves felt with mild symptoms. In particular, with chronic bronchitis, COPD and tuberculosis, the patient may cough at night. If during the day such a symptom goes unnoticed and the secreted sputum is spat out, then at night it enters the oral cavity, causing the saliva to thicken and change its color to dark yellow, brown or greenish tones.
And with some ailments, even blood may well get into the saliva (this situation can develop even with a normal ARVI, when a strong cough leads to traumatization of the microvessels in the mucous membranes of the larynx). If you do not spit out the liquid immediately (which is most often not possible at night), the color of the saliva will be brown in the morning.
The most typical signs of ENT diseases that can change the color of saliva are coughing of varying degrees of intensity. The patient may also be bothered by general malaise, increased sweating and other health problems, depending on the type of illness.
Esophageal carcinoma
In very serious cases, untreated gastroesophageal reflux disease (and subsequent Barrett's esophagus) can lead to esophageal cancer. The main risk factors are alcohol consumption, smoking, poor nutrition, and chronic esophageal diseases with reflux.
Symptoms include weight loss, trouble swallowing, or gastrointestinal bleeding. This is something that happens over decades of untreated reflux (30-40 years), so those who are 30 and otherwise healthy have no reason to suspect cancer. But if you're over 50 and have had heartburn for years and suddenly lose weight, for example, this is definitely what your doctor will suspect first.
Will mouthwash help?
You can now buy special mouth rinses in pharmacies. They will help eliminate unpleasant odor and even temporarily make saliva clear again. It is advisable to use them if the cause is smoking, caries or other diseases associated with the oral cavity. If the reason lies in bacterial infection of the respiratory system or problems with the gastrointestinal tract, not a single mouthwash will help.
A rinse aid can only temporarily remove yellowness and odor, while blurring the symptoms of the disease
