Whether it is labeled as acid reflux, heartburn, or gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), this burning sensation occurs when contents from the stomach travel back up the esophagus, and it affects more than 15 million American on a daily basis. Due to physiological changes that occur with aging, elderly people are more apt to suffer from GERD, and people over age 65 are often prescribed medications that alter the GI tract and can lead to senior GERD.
Acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD don’t mean the same thing. GERD denotes regurgitation of any type of stomach contents into the esophagus, while acid reflux means the stomach’s acid contents are being regurgitated, says Dr. Philip E. Jaffe, FACP, FACG, a gastroenterologist and a professor at Yale University School of Medicine in Connecticut. With GERD, food, acid, stomach enzymes, and material from the upper intestine that has traveled back into the stomach can reflux into the esophagus. “By definition, all acid reflux is considered GERD but not all GERD is due to acid reflux,” says Jaffe. Heartburn can be a symptom of acid reflux or GERD, but it is not a medical condition.
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