Is gastric effusion dangerous?

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor I Vo Thi Thuy Trang - Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a condition in which stomach acid and digested food from the stomach move up into the esophagus. This is one of the gastrointestinal diseases with silent and long-lasting progression. So is gastric effusion dangerous?

Normally, every time you eat and drink, food will be brought from the mouth to the esophagus, the lower esophageal sphincter will relax to let food, liquids move down to the stomach, then this muscle will close the compartment. prevent gastric juices and food from going back up the esophagus.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a condition in which stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus.

When you have gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric juices back up into the esophagus causing damage to the esophagus. Therefore, the patient will have the following intraesophageal and extraesophageal manifestations:
2.1. Expression of gastric acid effusion in the esophagus Ợ gas, heartburn, heartburn: gas is the phenomenon of air from the stomach going back up the esophagus and out. If burping occurs frequently, this is one of the signs of gastric juice. Heartburn is a condition in which fluid travels from the bottom of the stomach to the top and leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Heartburn is a burning sensation from the epigastrium, behind the breastbone, to the neck. These symptoms often appear after you eat, when you are full or when you lie down, especially at night.
Nausea, vomiting: Stomach acid spills into the throat or mouth, which will irritate the oropharynx, causing nausea or vomiting of gastric juices or food. Chest pain: When you have GERD, you may feel a tightness in your chest that radiates to your back. This is caused by the reflux of gastric juices that stimulate the nerve fiber endings on the surface of the esophageal mucosa, producing signals such as chest pain. If angina occurs with intensity when bending over or lying down with some symptoms of acid reflux, it is not heart disease. Difficulty swallowing: When gastric juice refluxes with great frequency, it will cause inflammation and swelling, making the diameter of the esophagus narrow. So you have a feeling of difficulty swallowing, swallowing in the neck. Hoarseness and cough: When gastric acid overflows, it damages the vocal cords. So you will have hoarseness due to swollen vocal cords, difficulty speaking and coughing.

2.2. Extra-esophageal manifestations of gastric effusion Excessive salivation: When gastric juice refluxes, to neutralize that amount of acid, the body will produce more saliva on its own. Bitter mouth: Due to the reflux of bile from the duodenum into the stomach, then the gastric juice overflows into the esophagus and into the oral cavity, causing a bitter taste in the mouth. This phenomenon usually occurs in the early morning after waking up. Shortness of breath and asthma: Due to gastric acid reflux up the esophagus, it can enter the bronchi and then down into the lungs, especially during sleep, causing damage to the airways. May lead to asthma or pneumonia with symptoms of cough, shortness of breath.. Prolonged pharyngitis, laryngitis: When gastric juice overflows into the nasopharynx, it will damage the pharynx and vocal cords. lead to chronic pharyngitis with sharp pain in the throat and hoarseness. Stained teeth: Acid reflux in the mouth can cause enamel wear, staining teeth, along with bad breath.

Acid reflux is caused by a weak or abnormal opening or closing of the esophageal sphincter. In addition, there are other possible causes for this condition such as:
As a side effect of some medications. Using stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, ... Due to diseases in the esophagus causing fibrosis, weak esophageal sphincter or genetic diseases, diaphragmatic hernia... Gastric diseases such as inflammation Gastric ulcers, gastric cancer or gastric antrum stenosis... can also cause gastric juice to overflow into the esophagus. Due to bad eating habits such as eating too much, eating a lot of indigestible foods (fast food, eggs, milk, carbonated drinks, ...) or going to bed right after eating. Being overweight and obese increases pressure on the abdomen Pregnancy Stress

The stomach is the place to store and do part of the work of digesting food. To digest food, the stomach secretes a very strong acid - hydrochloric acid, which helps activate the enzyme pepsin, which plays a key role in protein digestion. Therefore, the stomach has a very strong protective barrier that prevents acids and enzymes from "eroding" the stomach.
However, other agencies do not have this layer of protection. Therefore, when in contact with gastric juice, the mucosa of other parts is quickly damaged and eroded, followed by inflammation, edema, scarring and adhesions, worse, cancer. Stomach acid reflux can lead to the following dangerous conditions:
Esophageal ulcers : May bleed, cause pain and difficulty swallowing. Esophageal stricture: When an esophageal ulcer heals, it can leave a scar that narrows the esophagus and obstructs the flow of food. Barrett's esophagus: This is a condition in which the squamous tissue in the lower esophagus is transformed into columnar tissue with intestinal-like cells (intestinal metaplasia). This is the result of ongoing damage to the lining of the esophagus and the most common cause is gastroesophageal reflux. These altered cells may have the potential to become cancerous. Therefore, people with Barrett's esophagus should have routine endoscopy to watch for early warning signs of cancer. Esophageal cancer: Gastroesophageal reflux can also lead to esophageal cancer. And one of the factors that cause esophageal cancer is Barrett's esophagus. About 10% of people with Barrett's esophagus have an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer. Ideally, when there are signs of gastric effusion, customers should go to medical facilities to be examined to have a specific assessment of their health status so that they can have appropriate treatment.