Severe Acid Reflux May Indicate a Serious Condition

Many Americans have conditioned themselves to ignore acid reflux symptoms, even severe acid reflux symptoms. Chronic, acute pain, however, is not something that should be ignored if it is persistent and gets worse over time. Besides pain and discomfort, severe acid reflux can eventually cause damaging problems with the esophagus, such as:

(1) Esophagitis: severe acid reflux may cause stomach acid to continually come into contact with the esophagus, leading to ulcers or bleeding in the esophagus.

(2) Barrett’s esophagus: Chronic, untreated severe acid reflux or esophagitis can lead to Barrett’s esophagus, or cell abnormalities in the esophagus. This means healthy esophagus cells turn into cells not normally found in the esophagus. In less than one percent of cases, Barrett’s esophagus was the precursor for cancer of the esophagus. The symptoms of Barrett’s esophagus are basically the same as severe acid reflux. Barrett’s esophagus is treated by preventing acid from getting into the esophagus.

(3) Strictures: When severe acid reflux damages the lining of the esophagus, the esophagus can become scarred. That scar tissue, in turn, narrows the esophagus, and the narrowing is called strictures. The tightening of strictures prevents food and drink from reaching the stomach.

(4) Esophageal cancer: More common in men, esophageal cancer is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the tissue of the esophagus. Esophageal cancer is usually the result of severe acid reflux, GERD, Barrett’s esophagus, alcoholism, and/or smoking. While cancer of the esophagus has no symptoms in its early stages, over time patients will experience difficulty swallowing, weight loss, and painful swallowing.

Since severe acid reflux could lead to a serious or even life-threatening condition, it is important for patients to remain aware of their symptoms. Any change or worsening in severe acid reflux symptoms should be investigated as soon as possible.