What is Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is when stomach juice goes back up into the esophagus, making it feel uncomfortable.

Imagine your tummy is like a big, bubbly soda bottle. When you're full or upset, the fizzy drink, which is like stomach acid, can bubble up through a little door at the top of your belly called the lower esophageal sphincter. That’s like when you open the cap on a soda bottle and it fizzes out. This fizzing makes your throat feel ticklish, sore, or even like it's burning.

GERD can make you feel like you have heartburn, that hot, burning feeling in your chest. Sometimes, it feels like there’s a sour or bitter taste in your mouth, like when you drink lemon juice after eating something sweet. Kids might say it feels like they swallowed a firecracker!

Sometimes the acid goes all the way up to your mouth and even into your nose, making you cough, choke, or even sneeze.

If this happens often, it can become gastroesophageal reflux disease, which means it's not just an occasional hiccup, it’s more like a regular party in your throat!