Answers
When is acidity a sign of something serious?
Short answer
Most acidity is simple reflux that settles with habit changes and short courses of medicine. See a doctor if it happens twice a week or more, lasts beyond 2 to 4 weeks, or comes with any warning sign.
Warning signs
- Difficulty or pain while swallowing
- Weight loss without trying
- Vomiting blood or black, tar-like stools
- Anaemia or unusual tiredness
- Persistent vomiting
- New symptoms starting later in life
Rule out the heart first
Chest pain with sweating, breathlessness, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw can be a heart attack, even when it feels like acidity. Go to an emergency department straight away.
What a gastroenterologist checks
An upper GI endoscopy shows inflammation, ulcers, a hiatus hernia or Barrett's oesophagus, and tests for H. pylori. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Simple steps that help
- Dinner at least 3 hours before bed
- Smaller meals
- Raising the head end of the bed
- Losing extra weight
- Less tea, coffee, fried food, smoking and alcohol