Can Acid Reflux Cause You To Have a Sore Throat and Nausea?

Acid reflux, also known as GERD when it is a chronic condition, is one of the most common ailments in the world, impacting about 25 million people in the United States alone, not to mention the amount impacted all around the world. This is a condition that occurs when stomach acid is allowed back into your throat because your lower esophageal sphincter does not entirely close when you have finished eating a meal. As this acid rises, it irritates the parts of the body that it touches, and the symptoms are more severe the more that is allowed to travel past the sphincter.

Common symptoms of GERD and acid reflux are heartburn, the sour taste of bile in the back of the throat, and a burning sensation. However, new studies have shown that acid reflux could also be linked to both the onset of a sore throat and nausea in patients of any age.

People sometimes make the mistake of thinking that a sore throat is caused by a treatable sickness, such as a common cold. However, if the sore throat is present all on its own and not accompanied by the other expected symptoms of a cold – a congested nose or a cough, for example – acid reflux could actually be to blame. The acid in the throat is irritating the tissue and causing it to be inflamed and sore even after that acid retreats.

Similarly, acid reflux can lead to nausea or an upset stomach because the acid irritates the stomach lining. The body may also be trying to purge the acid from the places where it does not belong, and can lead in extreme cases of vomiting, as well. Often, home remedies like drinking a glass of milk or crewing an antacid tablet are enough to cure this, but nausea can sometimes remain even after heartburn and other symptoms have abated.

In some cases medications may be required which are to be taken on doctor’s advice and Nexium could be one of the acid reflux prescription medicines that doctor may advice.

Typically, symptoms of acid reflux or GERD are noticed most acutely after eating a meal or lying down. The foods that people eat and the things that they drink could be causing the condition, as things like coffee, tomato sauce, spice and alcohol have all been shown to play a role. Lying down causes the acid to remain in the throat longer, so symptoms can be heightened after a night’s sleep. Some people even report waking up with severe pain in the middle of the night.

Some studies indicate that far more than 25 million people may be affected by acid reflux, putting the numbers as high as 35% of all Americans, or roughly 111,000,000 people. Only a fraction of these is represented in medical statistics since home remedies are so often selected.