Heartburn at a Young Age, Here's How to Reduce the Severity of Gerd

Illustration of Gerd. (Freepik)

JAKARTA - Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (Gerd) is one of the digestive disorders that are increasingly experienced by the community, including at a young age.

Irregular eating patterns, prolonged stress, smoking habits, and lack of physical activity make complaints of acid reflux more likely to appear and potentially worsen if not managed properly.

This condition emphasizes the importance of lifestyle changes from an early age to prevent more serious complications.

Professor of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Rino Alvani Gani Sp.PD K-GEH, said that the implementation of a healthy lifestyle or healthy lifestyle in young people can help reduce the severity of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (Gerd).

"The way to reduce it is a healthy lifestyle, not smoking, exercising, eating regularly, not being fat, managing stress well," said Prof. Rino as quoted by ANTARA.

GERD itself is a chronic digestive disorder that occurs when stomach acid repeatedly rises back into the esophagus (esophagus). If it continues, this condition can cause discomfort to cause damage to the upper digestive tract.

According to Rino, many young people today have not implemented a healthy lifestyle, so they are prone to various health problems from an early age, including Gerd. The habit of not moving, irregular eating patterns, and unhealthy food consumption are often found factors.

He added, not a few young people who are overweight due to rarely exercising, becoming active smokers, and ignoring meal times. The combination of these factors can worsen the symptoms of Gerd experienced.

In fact, by adopting a healthy lifestyle, the risk of Gerd severity can be suppressed so that it does not develop into inflammation in the upper gastrointestinal tract. If left untreated, this condition has the potential to damage the esophagus and cause chest pain.

Rino explained, uncontrolled Gerd can also trigger various other health disorders, ranging from prolonged coughing to dizziness complaints.

"Gerd can cause pain or heat in the chest, can cause inflammation of the upper gastrointestinal tract, can cause difficulty swallowing because it feels like there is a lump in the throat, can trigger asthma or a long cough, can cause dizziness," he said.

However, Rino emphasized that Gerd was not the direct cause of death or sudden death. However, this condition still needs serious attention so that it does not develop into more severe complications.

He also highlighted poor stress management as one of the factors that can aggravate GERD. Excessive stress can trigger a recurrence of symptoms, even causing palpitations that add to the discomfort of sufferers.

Under certain conditions, Gerd can develop into serious complications, such as chronic inflammation of the esophagus, increased risk of esophageal cancer, to aspiration pneumonia when stomach acid enters the lungs. Therefore, a healthy lifestyle change is an important step in controlling Gerd early.