Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a condition in which stomach acid repeatedly flows back up into the tube connecting the mouth and stomach, called the esophagus. It's often called GERD for short. This backwash is known as acid reflux, and it can irritate the lining of the esophagus.

GERD is caused by frequent acid reflux or reflux of nonacidic content from the stomach. When you swallow, a circular band of muscle around the bottom of the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter, relaxes to allow food and liquid to flow into the stomach. Then the sphincter closes again. If the sphincter does not relax as is typical or it weakens, stomach acid can flow back into the esophagus. This constant backwash of acid irritates the lining of the esophagus, often causing it to become inflamed.

The most common symptom of GERD is persistent heartburn, which may involve:

• a burning feeling in your stomach that may rise to your chest, neck, and throat
• a sour or bitter taste at the back of your mouth
• regurgitation of food or liquid from your stomach into your mouth

Other possible symptoms of GERD include:

• a feeling of fullness or of a lump in the back of your throat (globus sensation)
• chronic cough
• a hoarse voice
• bad breath

Alarm symptoms may include:

• difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
• pain when swallowing (odynophagia)
• nausea or vomiting
• weight loss
• anemia
• bleeding

Diagnostic tests include barium swallow x-rays with either fluoroscopy or video.

Treatment

To manage and relieve symptoms of GERD, certain home remedies and lifestyle habits may help, including:

• breathing exercises
• consuming foods and liquids that may help with your acid reflux
• making efforts to maintain a moderate weight
• quitting smoking, if you smoke
• avoiding eating big, heavy meals in the evening
• waiting 2–3 hours after eating to lie down
• elevating your head during sleep

Residuals

If surgery is performed, the patient will undergo postsurgical recovery and have an upper abdominal incision.

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common diagnostic term used for symptomatic hiatal hernia. This disorder does not share pathology with (i.e., is not necessarily related clinically to) peptic ulcer disease, which can (and often does) co-exist with GERD. If the two conditions happen to co-exist, service connection of one would be determined independently of the other.

Notes

• Findings must be documented by barium swallow, computerized tomography, or esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

• Non-gastrointestinal complications of procedures should be rated under the appropriate system.

• This diagnostic code applies, but is not limited to, esophagitis, mechanical or chemical; Mallory Weiss syndrome (bleeding at junction of esophagus and stomach due to tears) due to caustic ingestion of alkali or acid; drug-induced or infectious esophagitis due to Candida, virus, or other organism; idiopathic eosinophilic, or lymphocytic esophagitis; esophagitis due to radiation therapy; esophagitis due to peptic stricture; and any esophageal condition that requires treatment with sclerotherapy.

• Recurrent esophageal stricture is defined as the inability to maintain target esophageal diameter beyond 4 weeks after the target diameter has been achieved.

• Refractory esophageal stricture is defined as the inability to achieve target esophageal diameter despite receiving no fewer than 5 dilatation sessions performed at 2-week intervals.