Finding the root cause of GERD can mean lasting relief

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Millions of people live with gastroesophageal reflux, or GERD, though few know exactly why they have it.

But finding the root cause is so important for lasting relief.

Since his teens, Sergio Santos struggled with his weight. About eight years ago, chronic reflux set in, too.

"I like have coughing, coughing during the whole night, and I cannot sleep," Sergio recalls.

No doctor could find the cause until he went to bariatric surgeon Dr. Heath Antoine of Temple Health for his weight.

Dr. Antoine says digestive acids backing up into the esophagus can cause burning, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, or the nagging dry cough like Sergio had.

"Sometimes hoarseness, wheezing, asthma can be related to reflux," he adds.

It's very common with obesity.

"For every 10 BMI points your weight goes up, your incidence of reflux goes up 68%," Dr. Antoine points out.

Smoking raises the risk, and so do hiatal hernias, when part of the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm.

"We see hiatal hernias in two out of three people who have reflux," he says.

However, few patients are tested for them.

"Most people will get to the gastroenterologist, they'll get an endoscopy, they'll get a diagnosis, and they'll go get medication," he says.

And it usually stops there.

While drugs control stomach acid, and bile, pancreatic acids still attack the esophagus, causing cell damage that can lead to Barrett's esophagus, a pre-cancerous condition.

Dr. Antoine says most repairs for GERD - and the gastric bypass for weight loss - are done through four or five small incisions.

He says the bypass itself is also helpful in resolving GERD.

"That small stomach contains the part of the stomach that doesn't have acid-producing cells," he notes.

After the GERD repairs and gastric bypass, Sergio slept better, lost weight, and regained interest in running races.

So far, he's done a host of them, from the Rocky Run to the Broad Street Run.

"I started close to 360 pounds. And now, I'm half of this," Sergio says.

His new goal is the Philadelphia Marathon.

"I know it's not easy. It's a very long journey, but I'm feeling very confident and very happy," he says. "The training helps keep my body healthy."

Sergio is careful not to eat late at night, to get a balanced diet and plenty of water to keep his weight down and reflux at bay.

It takes a little daily attention, but it is well worth it.