Diseases of esophagus explainedDiseases of esophagus explained

Esophageal reflux is caused by a back flow of gastric content of the stomach into the esophagus producing a clinical manifestation of esophageal diseases. The ailment can afflict persons who are fond of eating fried and spicy foods, chocolates, and taking coffee, tea, alcohol and carbonated drinks.

Dr. Benedicto Agbay, a gastro enterology specialist, said the disease could be likened to a mother taking care of her baby and after feeding, puts the infant in bed and waits for the baby to burp in which milk is refluxed.

Appearing before the 111th forum of the Association of Asia Brewery Medical Scholars at the Century Park Hotel, Agbay said patients afflicted with gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) should avoid bed time snacks.

Persons who are overweight, pregnant and smokers are prone to contracting the disease.

He said about 44 percent of the population have heartburn once a month (a burning sensation usually centered in the middle of the chest near the sternum) and the incidence of severity of the disease before the age of 40 years is one to 100,000 and usually the incidence increases with age at about 20 per 100,000.

"It’s more common among males, but it’s an uncommon cause of mortality," said Agbay, who underwent training in interventional endoscopy in Hamburg, Germany.

Most of the resource persons at the forum were recipients of the Asia Brewery Medical Specialty Scholarship Foundation’s scholarship program, one of the beneficiaries of the Tan Yan Kee Foundation of industrialist Lucio Tan.

"The most common is heartburn. Chest pains are the least common because in some cases it can simulate such pain coming from the heart. Some of the other symptoms are sore throat, gingivitis, feeling of lump in the throat," he added.

Agbay said heartburn can occur after eating and can last from a few minutes to a few hours. Other chronic symptoms include difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia) or painful swallowing that can occur in an inflamed esophagus. Esophageal reflux is caused by a back flow of gastric content of the stomach into the esophagus producing a clinical manifestation of esophageal diseases. The ailment can afflict persons who are fond of eating fried and spicy foods, chocolates, and taking coffee, tea, alcohol and carbonated drinks.

Dr. Benedicto Agbay, a gastro enterology specialist, said the disease could be likened to a mother taking care of her baby and after feeding, puts the infant in bed and waits for the baby to burp in which milk is refluxed.

Appearing before the 111th forum of the Association of Asia Brewery Medical Scholars at the Century Park Hotel, Agbay said patients afflicted with gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) should avoid bed time snacks.

Persons who are overweight, pregnant and smokers are prone to contracting the disease.

He said about 44 percent of the population have heartburn once a month (a burning sensation usually centered in the middle of the chest near the sternum) and the incidence of severity of the disease before the age of 40 years is one to 100,000 and usually the incidence increases with age at about 20 per 100,000.

"It’s more common among males, but it’s an uncommon cause of mortality," said Agbay, who underwent training in interventional endoscopy in Hamburg, Germany.

Most of the resource persons at the forum were recipients of the Asia Brewery Medical Specialty Scholarship Foundation’s scholarship program, one of the beneficiaries of the Tan Yan Kee Foundation of industrialist Lucio Tan.

"The most common is heartburn. Chest pains are the least common because in some cases it can simulate such pain coming from the heart. Some of the other symptoms are sore throat, gingivitis, feeling of lump in the throat," he added.

Agbay said heartburn can occur after eating and can last from a few minutes to a few hours. Other chronic symptoms include difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia) or painful swallowing that can occur in an inflamed esophagus.