Stage 1 (mild): A person has infrequent heartburn and regurgitation happening once or less each week. Stage 2 (moderate): A person has regurgitation or heartburn occurring a few times a week. Stage 3 (severe): A person has regular heartburn, a chronic cough, regurgitation, a hoarse voice, and regurgitation of food.
Symptoms of Stage 4 GERD
Heartburn. Regurgitation of food or liquid. Sore throat. Hoarse voice.
The main symptoms are persistent heartburn and acid regurgitation. Some people have GERD without heartburn. Instead, they experience pain in the chest, hoarseness in the morning or trouble swallowing. You may feel like you have food stuck in your throat, or like you are choking or your throat is tight.
GERD can be a problem if it's not treated because, over time, the reflux of stomach acid damages the tissue lining the esophagus, causing inflammation and pain. In adults, long-lasting, untreated GERD can lead to permanent damage of the esophagus.
If the pain is not relieved shortly after taking antacids, or is accompanied by these symptoms, seek emergency medical care: Squeezing/tightening in the chest. Feeling out of breath.
The goal of surgery for reflux disease is to strengthen the anti-reflux barrier. During a procedure known as a Nissen fundoplication, your surgeon wraps the upper part of your stomach around the lower esophagus. This enhances the anti-reflux barrier and can provide permanent relief from reflux.
Hospitalizations for disorders caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD rose 103 percent between 1998 and 2005. Also, hospitalizations for patients who had milder forms of GERD (in addition to the condition for which they were admitted), rose by 216 percent during the same time period.
Stage 3 (severe): A person has regular heartburn, a chronic cough, regurgitation, a hoarse voice, and regurgitation of food. Stage 4 (esophageal cancer or precancerous lesions): A person has the same symptoms as stage 3, plus food getting stuck in the back of their throat when eating.
People without a history of heartburn can suddenly develop heartburn as a result of eating certain foods, some eating patterns, drinking, and smoking. Stress, anxiety, certain medications, and some medical conditions can also cause it.
This can lead to damage as well as leave a lingering taste in the mouth as the acid creeps upward. Partnered with difficulty swallowing, coughing, and belching with GERD, many patients feel nauseated or experience vomiting. Indigestion has also been reported by some patients.
The duration of GERD symptoms can vary from person to person. In some cases, symptoms may occasionally last a few hours. In other cases, symptoms may be more frequent and persist for several days or weeks.
Alarm symptoms include dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) and odynophagia (painful swallowing), which may represent presence of complications such as strictures, ulceration, and/or malignancy. Other alarm signs and symptoms include, but are not limited to, anemia, bleeding, and weight loss.
It usually feels like a burning chest pain that starts behind your breastbone and moves upward to your neck and throat. Many people say it feels like food is coming back into the mouth, leaving an acid or bitter taste. The burning, pressure, or pain of heartburn can last as long as 2 hours.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a multifactorial problem that tends to get worse with time.
Mild sufferers may experience occasional bouts of heartburn. Patients with more severe reflux can experience heartburn daily. Other patients never experience heartburn but may have symptoms such as asthma, chronic cough, hoarseness, or chest pain due to persistent reflux.
If heartburn does not resolve after taking antacids, a person should visit a doctor for evaluation. They may recommend stronger medications, lifestyle modifications, or an endoscopy procedure to further evaluate symptoms.
In some people the burning sensation calms down after just a few minutes, but that is not a rule, and it can last up to a few days in some other cases. However, if heartburn lasts even longer and if it occurs even more frequently, we recommend that you see your doctor as soon as possible.
“Basically your survival rate is less than 20%. So it's important to identify people in the early change stage before they actually advance to esophageal cancer.”
Acid reflux, or GERD, can be debilitating and can cause daily pain, poor sleep, food intolerance, and limitations on daily activities.
When your acid reflux symptoms are not being controlled by medication, it's time to see a gastroenterologist to discuss your options, specialists say.
With most people, GERD can be controlled with medication, but when symptoms persist despite medication, surgery is the only option.
You might have surgery if lifestyle changes and medicines do not help or you do not want to keep taking medicines. Surgery is very effective in treating GERD. The most common operation for GERD is called a fundoplication.