Acid reflux disease commonly known as GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease or GERD), is a medical condition that is characterized by high intensity of acid reflux that causes damage to the esophagus. This condition can affect anyone from infants to senior people, but is more common in pregnant women, people who smoke a lot and those who tend to eat quite close to bedtime.

Acid reflux disease is certainly known due to its symptoms that can't be confused with anything else: strong heartburn, inflammation in the esophagus, troubled swallowing, hoarseness and cough. Symptoms such as these are usually experienced after the person eats a fatty meal or drinks alcohol, bends or smokes cigarettes.

This health condition is usually influenced by abnormal functioning of the esophageal sphincter. However, sometimes it is also known to be caused by abnormal production of stomach acids. For example in case if there's too little acid produced in the stomach the sphincter leading to the intestine can block food within the stomach and cause acid reflux into esophagus that causes damage and associated symptoms.

There are several factors that can contribute to the development of GERD including hiatus hernia, Zollinger-Elison syndrome, hypercalcemia, scleroderma and systemic sclerosis.

Many people tend to believe that GERD can be influenced by increased intake of alcohol, tea or coffee. And while drinking these substances in large amounts can aggravate the symptoms of the condition when it's already there, recent studies have shown that these drinks can't cause GERD on their own. Especially when compared to smoking. However, it's still not recommended to drink too much tea, coffee and especially alcohol if you have already developed the first signs of acid reflux disease and want to keep the symptoms under control.

Among all bad habits, smoking is regarded as the major factor contributing to the development of GERD. It was observed that people who were regular smokings for about 20 years have a 70% higher risk of developing GERD that their non-smoking peers. Not to mention that the symptoms of this condition are usually aggravated if the person is smoking.

Large amounts of salt have also been studied as a contributing factor during clinical trials. And while there's no direct link between table salts and acid reflux disease at the moment, researchers have found that people who are eating particularly salty meals have a risk of developing GERD comparable to that of people who smoke tobacco. So paying attention to what you actually eat is very important.

Of course, the best way to treat any health problem is to prevent it. But if you already happen to have acid reflux problems, there are very effective drugs for coping with the situation. One such drug is Aciphex. Aciphex is a popular choice among doctors who prescribe it for eliminating GERD symptoms. People who have used Aciphex report improvements in short periods of time and elimination of symptoms after a full course of the drug. So if your reflux problems start to trouble you speak to your doctor about using Aciphex and see if it can help you