GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease. If you get heartburn more than twice a week, you may have GERD.

We've listed the things that seem to be linked to GERD. Researchers don't know for sure whether these risk factors cause GERD. Having or doing any of these things doesn't mean that you'll definitely get GERD.

Smoking may weaken the valve that sits between your stomach and your esophagus. (Your esophagus is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach.) If this valve is weak, more acid can flow back into the esophagus from the stomach. Doctors aren't exactly sure why or how this happens. There haven't been any good studies to show whether giving up smoking can make your symptoms get better or go away.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Dent J, Brun J, Fendwick AM.
An evidence-based appraisal of reflux disease management: the Genval Workshop Report.
Gut. 1999; 44 (supplement 1): S1-S16.

 

 

 

 

 

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Smoking may also lessen the amount of saliva you have in your mouth and throat. If this happens, there is less saliva to help wash down the acid that gets into your esophagus.

Alcohol may relax the muscular valve between your esophagus and your stomach. When the muscle is relaxed, the valve opens. So acid from your stomach may flow into your esophagus.

If you have sore spots on your esophagus, alcohol may make them worse.

You may find eating or drinking certain things makes your symptoms worse. Coffee, chocolate, mints, onions and sugary foods may make your symptoms worse. These foods may open the valve that stops your stomach's contents from getting into your esophagus.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
May 2007. May 2007. Available at http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/ (accessed on 24 July 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

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If you have soreness or damaged areas on your esophagus, acidic foods (such as citrus fruits and tomatoes) or spicy foods may make your heartburn worse.

Many pregnant women get GERD. About one-quarter of pregnant women have heartburn every day. And more than half get it once in a while.

This is probably because the unborn baby presses on the stomach area. When this happens, the ring of muscle between the stomach and the esophagus doesn't close as tightly as it should. So acid from your stomach can pass into your esophagus.

During pregnancy, there are changes in the level of some

 

 

 

 

 

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

 

 

 

 

 

hormones in the body. These hormones may affect how well the esophagus valve works.

If you're seriously overweight, you may be more likely to get GERD. Extra weight puts extra pressure on your stomach area. This can stop the valve between your esophagus and your stomach from working properly.

Some people's digestion works slowly, so food stays in their stomach for too long. Doctors call this delayed gastric emptying. It can cause heartburn.

You may be more likely to get GERD if one of your parents has GERD.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (Hiatal Hernia and Heartburn).
NIH Publication No. 94-882

 

 

 

 

 

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Your diaphragm is a thin, dome-shaped muscle that sits below your lungs. It separates your chest from your stomach. Your diaphragm tightens and relaxes as you breathe in and out.

Your esophagus passes through an opening in your diaphragm to get to your stomach. Doctors call this opening a hiatus. In some people, the upper part of the stomach bulges up through the opening in the diaphragm and into the chest. This is called a hiatal hernia.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
May 2007. May 2007. Available at http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/ (accessed on 24 July 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

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If you're overweight or pregnant, you are more likely to get a hiatal hernia. It can also be caused by coughing, vomiting, straining or sudden physical exertion.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Romero Y, Cameron AJ, Locke GR 3rd, et al.
Familial aggregation of gastroesophageal reflux in patients with Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Gastroenterology. 1997; 113: 1449-1456.

 

 

 

 

 

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If you have a hiatal hernia, you may get GERD because acid can easily pass from the bulging part of your stomach into your esophagus.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Romero Y, Cameron AJ, Locke GR 3rd, et al.
Familial aggregation of gastroesophageal reflux in patients with Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Gastroenterology. 1997; 113: 1449-1456.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ But most people who have a hiatal hernia don't have GERD.

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