Beware of GERD in Children and Adults: Solutions from Health Experts

GERD can be completely cured through a combination of risk factor reduction and complete treatment. According to the Professor of Internal Medicine at FKUI-RSCM, Prof. Dr. Ari Fahrial Syam, SpPD-KGEH, the main steps for healing involve eliminating symptoms, preventing complications, and changing lifestyles completely. Patients are strongly advised to stop smoking, avoid alcohol, lose weight, and implement a low-fat diet.

In a health discussion with Primaya Hospital in Jakarta, Prof. Ari emphasized that a good diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management are the main keys to reducing the severity of the disease. Based on his research, GERD sufferers are generally dominated by men over 40 years of age with obesity and smoking habits.

"However, currently the GERD trend is also beginning to attack children due to unhealthy eating patterns, excessive consumption of cheese and chocolate from an early age, and the habit of going to bed immediately after eating. Lack of physical activity due to the use of gadgets also exacerbates this condition, so that children are encouraged to be more active in the play area," he said as quoted by ANTARA.

To diagnose the indications of GERD, doctors usually perform an endoscopy procedure. This step aims to measure the severity of the wound in the digestive tract and examine the condition of the stomach valve which serves to hold stomach acid so that it does not rise to the esophagus. Patients who often experience chest pain, a burning sensation in the stomach, to repeated vomiting are strongly advised to do this check-up, as well as an early anticipation of the risk of cancer due to untreated wounds.

Regarding medicine, treatment is now entering a new era with the presence of P-CAB drugs such as Vonoprazan, Tegoprazan, and Fexuprazan. The presence of these drugs is a new hope for GERD sufferers, especially for those who have Helicobacter pylori bacterial infections or patients who previously failed to respond to long-term treatment. As a complement, Prof. Ari also mentioned that the intermittent fasting method and maintaining adequate protein intake can help the GERD recovery process effectively.