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Summary
Your esophagus is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) happens when a muscle at the end of your esophagus does not close properly. This allows stomach contents to leak back, or reflux, into the esophagus and irritate it.
You may feel a burning in the chest or throat called heartburn. Sometimes, you can taste stomach fluid in the back of the mouth. If you have these symptoms more than twice a week, you may have GERD. You can also have GERD without having heartburn. Your symptoms could include a dry cough, asthma symptoms, or trouble swallowing.
Anyone, including infants and children, can have GERD. If not treated, it can lead to more serious health problems. In some cases, you might need medicines or surgery. However, many people can improve their symptoms by:
- Avoiding alcohol and spicy, fatty or acidic foods that trigger heartburn
- Eating smaller meals
- Not eating close to bedtime
- Losing weight if needed
- Wearing loose-fitting clothes
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Diagnosis and Tests
- Barium Swallow (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Esophageal pH Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Upper GI Endoscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
- Upper GI X-Ray (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- What Is a pH Probe Study? (North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - PDF Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Antacids and Acid Reducers: OTC Relief for Heartburn and Acid Reflux (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Feeling the Burn? Options for Acid Reflux (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
- Fundoplication (North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Gastroesophageal reflux - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Esophageal Spasms (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) Also in Spanish
- GERD: Can Certain Medications Make It Worse? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Indigestion (Dyspepsia) (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Warning: Aspirin-Containing Antacid Medicines Can Cause Bleeding (Food and Drug Administration) Also in Spanish
Test Your Knowledge
- Test Your GERD Knowledge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastroesophageal Reflux (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Causal association between hyperthyroidism and risk of gastroesophageal reflux or esophageal...
- Article: Clinical features of gastroesophageal reflux disease and erosive esophagitis: Insights from...
- Article: Recent progress of gastroesophageal reflux after endoscopic myotomy.
- GERD -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- American College of Gastroenterology
- ASGE: Find a Doctor (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy)
- Find a Gastroenterologist (American College of Gastroenterology)
- Find a SAGES Surgeon (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Children
- Reflux in Children: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Reflux in Infants: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation)
Patient Handouts
- Anti-reflux surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Bland diet (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Gastroesophageal reflux - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Swallowing problems (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Taking antacids (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish