By Veronica Kirigo
If you have experienced frequent and persistent cases of heartburn and indigestion, you need to seek medical attention as the problem could be bigger than these symptoms may suggest. Medical experts say such symptoms may point to an endemic condition known as reflux disorder, which if untreated, may lead to serious diseases such as cancer, strictures and ear and teeth complications.
Thus, you should not ignore these symptoms or rush for known over-the-counter medication as you may be treating symptoms as a serious medical disorder worsens, doctors now warn.
At a recent meeting on the effective management of Reflux Disorder, doctors and pharmacists said a majority of Kenyans, who are not aware of the condition, have been treating the symptoms with over-the-counter antacids, which do not treat the illness.
“We have been treating the iceberg, with the patient going to see a specialist when the condition is so severe,” said Prof Godfrey Lule a consultant gastrointestinal.
He observed that there has been a notable increase in the new and recurrent cases of reflux disorder they are handling.
“We see four patients out of 20 with reflux disorder. This cases are severe and in need of specialised treatment,” said Lule.
He attributed the situation to multiple causes owing to the type of lifestyle people are living. “With the changing lifestyles, we have seen more people turning to spicy foods. This, coupled with other factors such as stress, alcohol consumption and smoking, has seen more people suffer from illnesses relating to the digestive system and particularly reflux disorder.”
Lule cautioned that although the main symptoms are heartburn and indigestion, there are other problems that manifest and conceal the diseases.
For those patients who don’t self-medicate or use milk to relive heartburn, they see clinical officers or pharmacists for help.
Stomach discomfort
The health expert says due to the recurrent episodes of discomfort in the stomach, the sufferers have limited productivity at work or in schools.
Lule cautions that failure to seek prompt treatment exposes individuals to the need for prolonged medication or surgery.
People also continue to subject themselves to unnecessary suffering by consuming foods that aggravate the problem.
He points out that certain foods or fruits, especially those high in acids can increase a case of heart burn.
“There are some people who complain after eating tomatoes, others peanuts and this shows that the reaction to various types foodstuffs differs form one person to another,” says Lule.
The president of the Association of Gastrointestinal Physiologists in the UK, Dr Robert Heading, said a majority of physicians tend to underestimate patients’ symptom burden and over-estimate symptom improvement with treatment.
“If the symptoms are mild and infrequent, lifestyle changes, antacids and alginates should be used. If these are inadequate, acid suppression should be considered, and if this does not work, then there is need to review the patients history and recommend second medication”, he explained.
It is difficult to detect reflux disorder in infants and children since they cannot describe what they are feeling and indicators must be observed.
Hence, the symptoms may vary from typical adult symptoms.
Reflux disorder in children may trigger repeated vomiting, effortless spitting up, coughing and other respiratory problems such as wheezing.
Inconsolable crying, refusing food, crying for food and then pulling off the bottle or breast only to cry for it again, failure to gain adequate weight, bad breath and belching or burping are also common.
Children may have one or more symptoms. No single symptom is universal in all children with reflux disorder.
Most children will outgrow the reflux by their first birthday. However, a small but significant number will not outgrow the condition. This is particularly true where there is a family history of reflux disorder present.
Over the counter medication
The symposium was organised by Reckitt Benckiser on the back of an increase in the number of new and recurrent cases of illnesses affecting the digestive system.
Country manager for Kenya, Richard Pereira said their decision to organise the conference was informed by statistics indicating that most over-the-counter medication bought by people with reflux disease, was not effective in the treatment.
“Medical advancements have now been able to present effective treatment for reflux disorder. As a leading and caring brand, we are proud to be able to avail these medical solutions to the Kenyan market.”
Given the complications resulting from these conditions, people are advised to seek medical attention whenever they have a persistent incident of a heartburn or indigestion.
Whereas reflux disorder is not fatal, the complications can be life threatening.
