The key difference between dyspepsia and GORD is that dyspepsia is a medical condition that causes persistent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, while GORD is a medical condition that causes stomach contents to reflux up into the esophagus.
The gastrointestinal tract is involved in human food digestion and energy intake. Gastrointestinal conditions affect the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. Dyspepsia and GORD are two common digestive conditions.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Dyspepsia
3. What is GORD
4. Similarities – Dyspepsia and GORD
5. Dyspepsia vs GORD in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Dyspepsia vs GORD
What is Dyspepsia?
Dyspepsia is a medical condition that causes persistent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen. Dyspepsia is also called indigestion. The symptoms of dyspepsia may include burning in the stomach or upper abdomen, abdominal pain, bloating, belching and gas, nausea and vomiting, acidic taste, and a growling stomach. These common symptoms may increase in times of stress. Moreover, heartburn may also be experienced with indigestion. However, heartburn is a symptom that may indicate another problem.
The risk factors for dyspepsia include excess alcohol consumption, use of drugs like aspirin that irritate the stomach, pain relievers, conditions in the digestive tract like ulcers, emotional or anxiety problems, and obesity. Dyspepsia can be caused by diseases such as ulcers, GORD, stomach cancers, gastroparesis, stomach infections, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, thyroid disease, pregnancy, medications such as aspirin, painkillers as NSAIDs, estrogen or oral contraceptives, steroids hormones, certain antibiotics, thyroid medicines, and lifestyle triggers such as eating too much and too fast, drinking too much alcohol, cigarette smoking, stress, and fatigue.
Dyspepsia can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood tests, X-rays, and upper endoscopy. Furthermore, treatment options for dyspepsia are over counter gas remedies (simethicone-containing drugs), medications that reduce acid production (H2 receptor blockers), medications to reduce acid pumps (proton pump inhibitors), antibiotics, low-dose antidepressants, prokinetics, and medications to relieve nausea (anti-emetics).
What is GORD?
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a medical condition that causes stomach contents to reflux up into the esophagus. It is a condition that occurs when stomach acid repeatedly flows back into the esophagus. This acid reflux can irritate the lining of the esophagus. The common symptoms of GORD include a burning sensation in the chest (heartburn) after eating, regurgitation of food or sour liquid, upper abdominal pain, trouble swallowing, a sensation of a lump in the throat, an ongoing cough, laryngitis, and new or worsening asthma. GORD is caused by problems in the lower oesophageal sphincter muscle.
The risk factors for GORD may include obesity, hiatal hernia, pregnancy, connective tissue disorders like scleroderma, delayed stomach emptying, smoking, eating large meals at night, eating foods like fatty foods or fried foods, drinking certain beverages like alcohol or coffee, and taking medications like aspirin.
GORD can be diagnosed through physical examination, upper endoscopy, ambulatory acid (pH) probe test, X-ray, esophageal manometry, and transnasal esophagoscopy. Furthermore, treatment options for GORD include medications (antacids), H2 blockers, proton pump inhibitors, surgery and other procedures such as fundoplication, LINX device and transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF), lifestyle and home remedies (maintain a healthy weight, stop smoking, elevate the head of the body, eat food slowly and thoroughly, avoid food and drinks that trigger reflux and avoid tight-fitting clothing) and alternative medicine (ginger, chamomile, and slippery elm).
What are the Similarities Between Dyspepsia and GORD?
- Dyspepsia and GORD are two common digestive conditions.
- In both conditions, part of the gastrointestinal tract is affected.
- Both conditions do not cause life-threatening complications.
- They can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging tests like X-rays.
- They are treated through specific medications like H-2 blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Dyspepsia and GORD?
Dyspepsia is a medical condition that causes persistent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, while GORD is a medical condition that causes stomach contents to reflux up into the esophagus. Thus, this is the key difference between dyspepsia and GORD. Furthermore, the risk factors for dyspepsia may include excessive alcohol consumption, use of drugs that irritate the stomach like aspirin, and pain relievers, conditions in the digestive tract like ulcers, emotional or anxiety problems, and obesity. On the other hand, the risk factors for GORD may include obesity, hiatal hernia, pregnancy, connective tissue disorders like scleroderma, delayed stomach emptying, smoking, eating large meals at night, eating foods like fatty foods or fried foods, drinking certain beverages alcohol or coffee and taking medications like aspirin.
The below infographic presents the differences between dyspepsia and GORD in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Dyspepsia vs GORD
The gastrointestinal tract regulates human food digestion. It also carries out absorbing ingested nutrients and excreting waste products. Dyspepsia and GORD are two common digestive conditions occurring in the gastrointestinal tract. Dyspepsia is a medical condition that causes persistent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, while GORD is a medical condition that causes stomach contents to reflux up into the esophagus towards the mouth. So, this is the key difference between dyspepsia and GORD.
Reference:
1. “Dyspepsia: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International.
2. “Heartburn and Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease (Gord).” Nidirect.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Stomach Pain” (CC0) via StockVault
2. “GERD” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia