Many humans complain of heartburn but yet, they've been quite unable to help it.Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, GERD.

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Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, GERD.

It would seem that churning of the stomach would drive its contents back up the esophagus. Such backflow, or gastroesophageal reflux, is normally prevented, however, by the lower esophageal sphincter, LES. Weakening of the LES leads to repetitive or chronic backflow, called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Stomach acid and sometimes bile acids and pancreatic enzymes regurgitate into the esophagus and irritate the mucosa. This causes the sensation of "heartburn," so named for its location although it has nothing to do with the heart. GERD affects as much as 50-55% of the population in Nigeria, especially black males.

NB: Beside sex and race, risk factors include age(middle-aged or beyond), being overweight, and going to bed too soon after eating.

The heartburn sensation can often be managed with antacids and is commonly dismissed by physicians and patients as merely a nuisance. However, in a few cases, GERD can lead to more serious complications such as scarring and narrowing of the esophagus(stricture), erosion and inflammation of the esophageal wall(erosive esophahitis), a possible transformation(metaplasia) of the esophageal epithelium to an intestinal-type columnal epithelium, known as the Barrett esophagus, and a form of esophageal cancer called adenocarcinoma.

Although most people with Barrett esophagus and adenocarcinoma have a longterm history of GERD, only 5% to 15% of those with GERD progress to Barrett esophagus and fewer than 0.1% to adenocarcinoma.
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