Acid Reflux Statistics
Most people don’t recognize that about sixty million humans suffer from acid reflux at a frequency of at least once per month. You may get the idea that this isn’t anything to be concerned about. The truth is, however, that if a person doesn’t manage their acid reflux, it can become serious. Your esophagus can become so damaged that you can’t fix it.
Statistically, approximately 25 million people suffer from the disorder on a daily basis. This approximates to about one in fourteen individuals. They can suffer from the disorder of acid reflux and still manage to be good at their jobs during their episodes. About half of all sufferers have the bulk of their symptoms during the night and have an interruption in their sleep.
Hormonal influences can affect acid reflux. For example, many sufferers are women who are pregnant.It affects a quarter of all pregnant women on a daily basis. Half of all women in the third trimester suffer from the condition. This is due to hormonal influences and the effects of the expanding pregnancy.
The average episode of heartburn or acid reflux is a couple of hours—a long time to be suffering in discomfort and pain. Even those who suffer from it only once per week can be anxious in anticipating it. Adults aren’t the only ones who suffer from heartburn and acid reflux. About fifteen percent of all young children and infants suffer from acid reflux as well. On the other hand, 65 percent of all acid reflux sufferers are older than forty years old.
Medical experts define chronic acid reflux as one who has the symptoms at least three times per week.This is where having the disease becomes more dangerous and concerning. Such individuals have a 50-50 chance of suffering from permanent damage to their esophagus. This explains why treating the disease early is so important.
About twenty percent of all sufferers of acid reflux will go on to acquire the condition known as GERD, a more serious degree of acid reflux. This can lead to other, more serious, health issues. It can adversely affect the immune system and can lead to cancer of the esophagus. Such a cancer has a high chance of spreading.
It’s important to understand that acid reflux is both common and serious. Many individuals believe that because it is a common disease, it is not dangerous. This is not true. The longer one has the disease,the more likely it is for the person to suffer from secondary complications. Even for shorter durations,there is no need to continue to suffer in such agony.
The statistics regarding acid reflux disease are fairly clear. Those who suffer from the condition should have it treated. You can do plenty of things on your own to manage the condition. Try OTC medications and if those don’t work, see the doctor for prescription options. There are a lot of ways to manage the condition on a permanent basis.
