Reflux Esophagitis: Main Causes and Symptoms

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Reflux esophagitis is a condition caused by the inflammatory process of the esophagus, the tube responsible for transporting food from the throat to the stomach.

This inflammatory process causes pain and/or burning, making the patient feel a kind of heat in the chest, commonly located on the inner part of the sternum.

If not treated properly, reflux esophagitis can cause significant changes in the cells of the inner wall of the esophagus, leading to a more serious condition called Barrett’s esophagus.

What are the main causes of reflux esophagitis?

Reflux esophagitis usually manifests as the sensation of stomach acid rising up the esophagus.

There is a muscle, called the sphincter, around the end of the esophagus. It opens to allow food to pass and remains closed to prevent the contents present in the stomach from returning to the esophagus.

This ring of muscle, when it cannot stay closed as long as necessary or opens and closes too frequently, ends up allowing stomach acid and part of the food to rise up the esophagus. This movement is popularly known as reflux.

As the esophagus is not prepared to receive stomach acid, it ends up suffering irritations and inflammation (esophagitis), causing pain and discomfort.

The main conditions that predispose this sphincter’s efficiency failure are:

• eating abundantly during meals or eating close to bedtime;
• lying down right after eating;
• excess weight;
• pregnancy;
• hiatal hernia, a condition in which part of the stomach “rises” through the diaphragm and enters the chest;
• the need for a nasogastric tube, where a tube passes through the nose and goes to the stomach to transport medications and other substances;
• frequent vomiting.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of reflux esophagitis are:

• constant heartburn and burning, which can worsen after main meals;
• reflux of a bitter and salty liquid into the throat;
• a bitter taste in the mouth;
• sore throat;
• chest pain;
• hoarseness.

How is reflux esophagitis treated?

The first step is to diagnose reflux esophagitis. In this case, the responsible doctor takes into account the patient’s history, clinical evaluation, and test results.

The main tests to assess esophagitis are:

• upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, to visualize the mucosa of the esophagus, stomach, and part of the small intestine;
• pH monitoring, to measure the amount of stomach acid that rises up the esophagus over 24 hours and see the relationship with symptoms presented.

The treatment, in turn, intrinsically depends on what is observed during the diagnosis. In general, esophagitis is a curable disease, but it is essential that the patient follows all the doctor’s instructions.

It is necessary to resort to certain medications prescribed by the doctor, in addition to promoting lifestyle changes.

Clear your doubts about reflux esophagitis and other digestive system conditions

Reflux esophagitis is a disease that requires attention and specific treatment and often raises several questions for patients.

With this in mind, the team responsible for EndoBlog promotes truthful information about the disease and the exams to be done, such as endoscopy.

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