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What Causes Acid Reflux?

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Posted on Tue, 4 Mar 2014
Question: I'm 51 years old and I've had Acid Reflux for the past 10 years. so I've been taking an over the counter med the whole time. my Acid reflux is so bad I have to take about 2 to 3 pills a day. whats going on
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Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (37 minutes later)
Brief Answer: Detailed below. Detailed Answer: Hello! Thank you for the query. Generally if the symptoms can not be controlled with regular dosages of PPIs (like Omeprasole 40 mg) gastroscopy should be done to see if something more is not in the stomach and esophagus. You may have Helicobacter Pylori infection which can trigger the symptoms similar to GERD. Moreover, long lasting GERD can lead to Barrets esophagus which increases the risk of esophageal cancer. I suggest you to consult gastroenterologist and have gastroscopy done at first. If everything will be fine, your medicines should be changed to other from same group (if you take Omeprasole, maybe Pantroprasole will be more effective). If the symptoms wont get better after treatment change/dosage adjustment, surgery (fundoplication) should be considered. Lots of patients have great reaction for surgery and symptoms can completely go away. You should also remember about the diet: avoid fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, fruit juices. Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions. Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Grzegorz Stanko

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 5798 Questions

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What Causes Acid Reflux?

Brief Answer: Detailed below. Detailed Answer: Hello! Thank you for the query. Generally if the symptoms can not be controlled with regular dosages of PPIs (like Omeprasole 40 mg) gastroscopy should be done to see if something more is not in the stomach and esophagus. You may have Helicobacter Pylori infection which can trigger the symptoms similar to GERD. Moreover, long lasting GERD can lead to Barrets esophagus which increases the risk of esophageal cancer. I suggest you to consult gastroenterologist and have gastroscopy done at first. If everything will be fine, your medicines should be changed to other from same group (if you take Omeprasole, maybe Pantroprasole will be more effective). If the symptoms wont get better after treatment change/dosage adjustment, surgery (fundoplication) should be considered. Lots of patients have great reaction for surgery and symptoms can completely go away. You should also remember about the diet: avoid fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, fruit juices. Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions. Regards.