The Rise of GERD Disease: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Guide

JawaPos.com – Gerd disease is starting to occur more frequently in society. This disease was once compared to stomach ulcers. However, it is actually different because it has a complexity of symptoms that is not the same as ulcer disease.

Dr. Ulfa Kholili, Sp.PD-KGEH, a specialist in internal medicine who is a gastroenterology-hepatology consultant, said that GERD disease needs to be watched out for because it has ‘a thousand faces’.

In other words, the complaints felt by sufferers can vary, similar to other diseases. For example, experiencing chest pain similar to heart disease. GERD disease can also cause shortness of breath, stuffiness, similar to coronary heart disease.

Told further by Dr. Ulfa Kholili, there are also patients who come to the lung doctor because they complain of a cough that doesn’t go away. There are also patients who come to an ENT doctor because they have complaints about their throat feeling like they are choking on something and they feel strangled in their throat.

Some even come to a neurologist with complaints of headaches such as migraines, insomnia or insomnia. Even though they have GERD.

Dr. Ulfa Kholili said that if someone experiences a number of symptoms like those above, it is best to deal with them calmly without panic. The best way to confirm this is to go to the nearest hospital for further examination so that the exact cause can be observed.

“If the patient feels short of breath or heart pain, don’t panic first. Immediately come to the emergency room or nearest hospital to be checked. Because the symptoms not necessarily indicate heart disease,” said Dr. Ulfa Kholili to JawaPos.com Friday (22/12).

However, if the situation makes it impossible to go to the hospital due to limited health services or something else, according to the doctor, the easiest way to find out whether it is GERD or another disease is by buying and taking stomach medicine.

“If the symptoms subside, it can be stated that what is being experienced is a symptom of increased stomach acid. If the symptoms do not subside, then GERD is not the cause, and you should immediately seek health services for a check-up,” he explained.

GERD or increased stomach acid can be triggered by a number of factors. Starting from the food consumed, stress, Helicobacter pylori infection, and so on.

According to Dr. Ulfa Kholili, consuming spicy food can also trigger the onset of GERD. “Perhaps for a certain age range the habit of consuming spicy food will not cause significant complaints. However, when you enter a certain age, there will be complaints that arise due to deterioration in organ function,” she explained.

Apart from that, continued Dr. Ulfa Kholili, the use of anti-pain or blood-stimulating drugs over a long period of time also has the potential to cause GERD. Especially for people who have entered old age.

There was news circulating that GERD disease could cause death. Is that right ? Regarding this matter, dr. Ulfa Kholili, who is currently also a lecturer at FK UNAIR Surabaya, East Java, stated that GERD disease does not cause death.

“GERD disease does not cause death, but it is very disturbing for patients. Because of the external appearance, Gerd patients are difficult to detect. However, Gerd patients feel nauseous, dizzy, unable to sleep, and even feel short of breath,” he explained.

2023-12-22 09:07:00
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