People who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) cannot blame extra air for the condition according to a study in the August issue of American Journal of Gastroenterology.
The study looked at the connection between GERD, belching, and air swallowing in 24 subjects. Each subject had air injected into their stomach and then the occurance of belching and air swallowing was assessed in each as well as the incidence of acid reflux, the key component of GERD.
Twelve of the subjects had GERD and twelve were healthy with no current reflux symptoms.
Both belching and air swallowing were higher in the GERD subjects. On average a GERD subject burped 52 times after the air infusion and the non-GERD subject only an average of 7 times. The GERD group swallowed air an average of 287 times compared to only 176 times in the non-GERD group. There was no effect on acid reflux due to the air infusion, nor any difference between the two groups.
Belching and air swallowing are thought to be increased in patients with GERD because the muscle between the esophagus and stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is thought to be relaxed and lets contents move easier between the two organs. Relaxation of the LES is also why acid reflux occurs so frequently.
But based on the results of this study, acid reflux and belching/air swallowing are not related, even though they share a common variable, relaxation of the LES.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on September 18, 2006 10:42 AM
