As you are at our web site, you must be familiar with acid reflux and its problems. This painful condition occurs when your stomach acids goes past the esophageal sphincter up in to the esophagus and even up to your throat. What about bile reflux?
Are you familiar with this term? Is bile reflux related to acid reflux?
Bile is a secretion of your liver. This is supposed to work in your small intestine to help in breaking down and absorption of fatty food items in to human body. In a similar way the stomach acids are kept inside your stomach by the valve esophageal sphincter, bile is kept inside your small intestine by pyloric valve which let food to pass from stomach in to your small intestine. When this valve malfunctions, bile flows in to your stomach and cause problems. Unlike the stomach acids, bile is alkaline in nature and can cause irritation and pain in your stomach.
If you are suffering from acid reflux and bile reflux, then your stomach acids and bile can get in to your esophagus and cause damage. This combination of bile reflux and acid reflux can even cause esophageal cancer which is known to be fatal always. Esophageal constriction (narrowing) is also a possible risk and can cause the patient to choke.
One of the biggest problems associated with bile reflux is the difficulty in diagnosing the condition properly. As the symptoms of acid reflux and bile reflux are similar, it is not easy to distinguish between the two. And remember, they both can occur in the same person at the same time. Commonly known symptoms of bile reflux are heart burn, sour taste in your mouth, nausea, throwing up bile, cough, loss of weight etc. Doctors may be able to diagnose the condition from the symptoms of the patient. In addition to this, the doctor may use endoscopy, acid tests etc to confirm the condition. As bile is alkaline in nature, acid tests are not going to detect its presence.
People who have undergone surgeries in their stomach for weight loss, those who have removed their stomach or gall bladder, those who are having stomach ulcers etc are known to be at a much higher risk of suffering from bile reflux.
Unlike acid reflux, life style changes by themselves cannot reduce bile reflux condition. Ursodeoxycholic acid is a commonly used prescription medicine for bile reflux. This is known to reduce the frequency of this condition from recurring. Proton pump inhibitors, which are used to treat acid reflux condition by reducing stomach acid production are known to be effective in reducing bile production as well. In severe cases, surgical procedures like Roux-en-Y or fundoplication are used to relieve the suffering of the patient.
Those who are suffering from acid reflux and bile reflux can reduce their problems through life style changes suited for acid reflux condition. These include avoiding smoking and alcohol consumption, eating smaller portions of food, eating four hours prior to bed time, reducing oily and fatty food consumption, reducing excess body weight, sleeping with your upper body in an elevated position, practicing of relaxation techniques etc.
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“This combination of bile reflux and acid reflux can even cause esophageal cancer which is known to be fatal always. Esophageal constriction (narrowing) is also a possible risk and can cause the patient to choke.”
Something I doubt …
Nothing is permanent here, symptoms are always flags for you to identify that you have a condition, if left unattended what it can lead to is mind-boggling.