Bburning behind the sternum, feeling of tightness in the chest (such as to wake you up at night) and acid regurgitation after meals. These are the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, which occurs when gastric juices from the stomach flow back into the esophagus. It is favored by stress, excessive consumption of coffee, smoking, alcohol, disordered eating and obesity.
Gastroscopy is not always necessary
«The most common mistake? Believing that a gastroscopy is needed immediately” he warns Luca Frulloni, professor of gastroenterology at the University of Verona and president of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology.
“Instead, if the symptoms persist for more than a week – he explains – you can try to resolve them first with over-the-counter antacid and anti-reflux products, light diet, slower chewing of food, physical activity. Lying down immediately after eating should be avoided. If the disorder remains, the general practitioner will evaluate whether to prescribe a drug therapy based on pump inhibitors, which block the secretion of acid in the stomach.”
What if the symptoms don’t go away?
«In 90-95 percent of cases the disorder regresses with pump inhibitors, even when there are predisposing conditions such as a small hiatal hernia. However, if the patient responds poorly to the therapy, a specialist visit to the gastroenterologist is needed, who may require a gastroscopy or esophageal ph-impedance measurement, a test that measures the excess acid reflux over a 24 hour period, to confirm the presence of pathologies. more severe, such as a large hernia that needs to be removed surgically” says the expert.
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