KEEP YOUR GUARD UP AGAINST GERD

As GERD Awareness Month draws to a close, we take a look at the lifestyle disease and its rising incidence among the young

- Abigail Banerji

Food is a source of comfort for many of us. But, the wrong food choices, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, can be the reason for life-long pain and discomfort in the form of health issues like Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. With November marked as GERD Awareness Month, we speak to experts about the lifestyle disease.

GERD is a condition in which the stomach acid regularly flows back/refluxes into the food pipe and causes irritation and inflammation. It is a more severe form of acid reflux. Dr Bir Singh Sehrawat, director and HOD, Gastroenterology, Marengo Asia Hospitals, Faridabad, explains that GERD is caused by the loosening of the oesophageal sphincter, which is located between the lower end of the food pipe or stomach. "It's a structural defect that becomes more prominent when a person gains weight and leads a sedentary lifestyle," says Sehrawat.