Reflux: Symptoms, Medications & Treatments

Acid reflux is a common problem. It happens when the acid your stomach makes to digest food travels back up into your esophagus where it doesn’t belong. When you think of acid reflux, you generally think of heartburn symptoms like chest pain or a burning feeling in your throat. When you have these symptoms often it might be a chronic condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Researchers estimate that about 20 percent of people in the United States have GERD.

However, acid reflux doesn’t always cause heartburn or abdominal symptoms. Sometimes, if the stomach acid travels up the esophagus and spills into the throat or voice box (called the pharynx/larynx) it can cause symptoms like chronic cough or sore throat. This is known as “silent reflux” or laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).

This talk will provide an overview of acid reflux and will discuss the different symptoms and hallmarks of laryngopharyngeal reflux and gastroesophageal reflux.  Key information about symptom recognition, medication management, and lifestyle changes will be discussed. Tips for preventing and managing acid reflux will be shared.

Presenter Lucio Volino, PharmD, is a clinical pharmacist for the Retail Network at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and the Clinical Associate Professor, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, at Rutgers University.

This community health presentation in partnership with Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center is open to all and registration is required.