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GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease. If you get heartburn more than twice a week, you may have GERD. If your doctor has told you that you have GERD, there's a good chance that treatment will help symptoms such as heartburn.

Lots of people with GERD continue to need treatment to stop their symptoms from coming back.

We don't really know much about how people with GERD do over the long term or why some people get more serious problems in their esophagus and others don't. But here's what we do know from the studies that have been done.

• If you have symptoms, such as heartburn, every day and you have soreness or damage (inflammation) in your esophagus (known as esophagitis), you probably won't get better unless you have treatment.
• About 50 percent to 80 percent of people who have only occasional or mild symptoms will get better without treatment.¹
• If you take prescription medication to reduce the amount of acid your stomach makes, there's a good chance that your symptoms will get better and the damage to your esophagus will heal.
• GERD may never go away completely. Even if you have symptoms less often and your esophagus has healed, you may need to keep taking medication. If you stop taking medication, there's about a 60 percent to 80 percent chance that your symptoms will come back within six months to 12 months.
• Some people find they need to take medication once in a while when their symptoms come back.
• People who have severe symptoms may need to take medication regularly (perhaps daily) to stop their symptoms from coming back. But not everyone needs to keep taking medication.
• You may wish to try cutting down on fatty foods and alcohol, or stopping smoking. We can't say for sure whether these things help with GERD but they're good for your health generally. To learn more see Changes to your diet and lifestyle.

If you get heartburn often, the acid from your stomach may cause more serious damage to your esophagus.² But this isn't common.^{2 3} Researchers don't know how long or how often you have to have GERD before you get more serious problems.

Some of the most common complications of GERD are:

• Ulcers: You get ulcers when the lining of your esophagus is damaged.
• Blocked esophagus: Your esophagus may become blocked if it is inflamed or has scars from sores that have healed.
• Barrett's esophagus: Acid from your stomach may change some of the cells that line your esophagus.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.