Acid Reflux (GERD) Glossary of Terms

1. Heartburn: Foods to Eat, Foods to Avoid Slideshow Pictures
2. Digestive Disease Myths Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the GERD Quiz

Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Acid indigestion: Excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid by the stomach cells. Medically...

Acid reflux: A common condition and an abnormal one in which acid in the stomach rises up...

Antihistamines: Drugs that combat the histamine released during an allergic reaction by bl...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Barium: 1. A metallic element belonging to the alkaline earths with an atomic numbe...

Barium swallow: A test that involves filling the esophagus, stomach, and small intestines ...

Barrett esophagus: A complication of chronic severe gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD)...

Belly: That part of the body that contains all of the structures between the chest and t...

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Caffeine: A stimulant compound found naturally in coffee, tea, cocoa (chocolate), and kola...

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is ...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

Cuts: Severed skin. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and d...

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

EGD: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Endoscopy: Examination of the inside of the body by using a lighted, flexible instrument c...

Enzyme: A protein (or protein-based molecule) that speeds up a chemical reaction in a livi...

Esophageal: Related to the esophagus.

Esophageal reflux: A condition wherein stomach contents regurgitate or back up (reflux) in...

Esophagitis: Inflammation of the esophagus.

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy: Also known as EGD or upper endoscopy. A procedure that enables...

Esophagus: The tube that connects the pharynx (throat) with the stomach. The esophagus lie...

Fundoplication: A surgical technique that strengthens the barrier to acid reflux when the ...

Garlic: A perennial herb of the lily family cultivated for its pungent, edible bulbs. Garl...

Gastroenterologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases...

Gastroesophageal: Pertaining to both the stomach and the esophagus, as in the gastroesopha...

Gastroesophageal reflux: The return of stomach contents back up into the esophagus This fr...

Gastrointestinal: Adjective referring collectively to the stomach and small and large inte...

GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heartburn: An uncomfortable feeling of burning and warmth occurring in waves rising up be...

Hernia: A general term referring to a protrusion of a tissue through the wall of the cavit...

Hiatal: Pertaining to an hiatus, an opening.

Hiatal hernia: An anatomical abnormality in which part of the stomach protrudes up through...

Hoarseness: Hoarseness is a term referring to abnormal voice changes. Hoarseness may be ma...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion...

Laparoscope: An instrument through which structures within the abdomen and pelvis can be s...

Lethal: Deadly.

Magnesium: A mineral involved in many processes in the body including nerve signaling, the...

Manometry: The measurement of pressure using a device called a manometer. Esophageal manom...

Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within a living organism. ...

Motor: Something that produces or refers to motion. For example, a motor neuron is a nerve...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Mucous: Pertaining to mucus, a thick fluid produced by the lining of some tissues of the b...

Mucus: A thick fluid that is produced by the lining of some organs of the body.

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Obese: Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obe...

Obesity: The state of being well above one's normal weight.

Operation: In medicine, a surgical procedure. Many operations are named after persons. The...

Osteoporosis: Thinning of the bones, with reduction in bone mass, due to depletion of calc...

Outpatient: A patient who is not hospitalized, but instead comes to a physician?s office, ...

Overweight: The term "overweight" is used in two different ways. In one sense it is a way ...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Pediatrics: The field of medicine that is concerned with the health of infants, children, ...

Posture: The carriage of the body as a whole, the attitude of the body, or the position of...

Precancerous: Pertaining to something that is not yet overtly cancerous, but appears to be...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Probe: (1) In surgery, a probe is a slender flexible rod with a blunt end used to e...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Receptor: 1. In cell biology, a structure on the surface of a cell (or inside a cel...

Reflux: The term used when liquid backs up into the esophagus from the stomach.

Regurgitation: A backward flowing. For example, vomiting is a regurgitation of food from t...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Taste: A perception that results from stimulation of a gustatory nerve. Taste belongs to t...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Upper GI series: A series of x-rays of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine (upper ...

Wheezing: A whistling noise in the chest during breathing. Wheezing occurs when the airway...