1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Reflux Oesophagitis

Silent Reflux compared to GERD. Do you agree?

Posted , 6 users are following.

walterw
walterw

I found this info on the aboutgerd site:

On the other hand, LPR is quite different. Many people with LPR do not have heartburn. Additionally, they:

Require larger doses of medications for weeks to months before seeing any improvement

Usually do not require long-term treatment

Rarely develop complications

Those who have devoloped LPR without GERD, do you agree with the last two lines? It seems too good to be true and I hadn't read it anywhere else. I've caught my LPR very early and I'm looking for an honest assessment of what my future holds with this disease.

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Sdfuk
    Sdfuk walterw

    Posted

    Hi

    i have to disagree with the above. I have LPR and as a result now have Barretts Oesophagus. The fact that it's silent mens that you can't modify your diet/behaviour. The only way I knew was the fact that I developed a lump sensation in my throat that then led to an endoscopy. Apparently, I had LPR for 5-10 years without knowing and by that time the damage was done. 

    Good luck anyway

    cheers

    s

    • walterw
      walterw Sdfuk

      Posted

      Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I understand that LPR can lead to complications when it isn't diagnosed. I don't think the article is referring to that though. I think it is saying that if you diagnose it and treat it, that you will be able to eventually stop medication and with some lifestyle changes it won't get worse over time. That's the part I'm (selfishly) curious about.
  • Sdfuk
    Sdfuk walterw

    Posted

    Hi

    i'm sure that with any type of GERD, if you can recognise it early enough and lose weight/change diet etc you can reduce the risk of more serious problems occurring. As long as the LES is functioning properly and you don't have a hernia etc you should be ok. Only after my endoscopy did I start having chest pains which in a way I'm glad about because at least now I know what food triggers the acid reflux.

    I would say lose weight (if you are over weight) change your diet, especially coffee, chocolate, alcohol, as you don't want Barretts and the surveillance that goes with it. Don't forget, I think it's only 5-10 % of people with GERD with have Barretts.

    Hope it you're OK

    cheers

    S

     

    • AcidTrees
      AcidTrees Sdfuk

      Posted

      Hi Sdfuk -

      "As long as the LES is functioning properly and you don't have a hernia etc you should be ok."

      I thought that by definition if you have diagnosed reflux that must mean that the LES isnt working properly as it's relaxing enough to allow acid to enter the oesophagus on a regular basis. 

      All best.

  • heleng238
    heleng238 walterw

    Posted

    I have an appointment now to go for an endoscopy. I have had one of these twice before for other things. If I had any of these things being discussed on here would they have already been detected or is this a sudden thing.
    • walterw
      walterw heleng238

      Posted

      I have an endoscopy scheduled too, but my ENT says that 70% of silent reflux cases don't show up on an endoscopy, so he gave me the scope down my throat and he detected the reflux from that.
    • sirivinay1786
      sirivinay1786 walterw

      Posted

      That is true. But my endoscopy showed mild esophagitis, though I had only silent reflux.
  • AcidTrees
    AcidTrees walterw

    Posted

    I dont know the answer to what you're asking as I dont know what "usually" or "rarely" mean in this context. If you get Barretts - I have it too - i think you would have to have long term treatment on ppis.

    Ive been on 60mg daily of lansoprozole and yet the barretts patch has just been shown to have more than doubled on my endoscopy this week.

    The percentage of people with Barretts who progress to cancer is very small; the uncertainty is whether I will be one of the ones who do progress. It has to be someone sad

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.