Implications to Society

Gastric reflux or acid reflux results in heartburn or indigestion.

Heartburn happens when an acid reflux – acid from the stomach flows up into the esophagus, occurs. Stomach acid flows up the esophagus when the lower esophageal sphincter  (LES) becomes relaxed. As a result, one will feel an internal burning sensation around the lower chest area. Certain food intake like tomatoes, citrus fruits, garlic, onions, chocolate, coffee, alcohol, caffeinated products, and peppermint, will result in the LES to become relax.

http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/heartburn-basics

http://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health-pictures/heartburn-and-foods-dos-and-donts.aspx

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, the excess of the following will cause the LES to become relax

  • too much food in the stomach (overeating) or
  • too much pressure on the stomach (frequently from obesity, pregnancy, or constipation)

Furthermore, stress and lack of sleep, and smoking will result in even more acid to be produced in our stomachs, which consequently lead to heartburn.

Meanwhile, indigestion refers to the discomfort or pain one feels in the stomach. There are several symptoms and causes of indigestion.

http://naturalremediesandtreatments.com/foods-to-avoid-to-prevent-indigestion/

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/11/14/digestion-system_n_2132372.html

Symptoms of indigestion:

  • bloatedness
  • belching and gas
  • a burning sensation in the stomach or esophagus
  • a gnawing sensation in the stomach
  • heartburn
  • nausea and vomiting
  • acidic taste

Causes of indigestion:

  • overeating
  • eating too quickly
  • eating spicy or fatty foods
  • lying down too soon after eating

On top of that, digestive diseases such as the following can result in indigestion.

  • Ulcers
  • acid reflux disease, also known as GERD
  • Gastroparesis
  • Stomach infections
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Chronic pancreatitis
  • Thyroid disease

The most prevalent way of keeping acidic reflux at bay is through prescribing OTC drugs such as the antacid. Generally, most people who take up antacid do not have any side-effects. However, side-effects do occur among some users especially to those who overdose. But, how much is too much?

Source: http://www.cvs.com/shop/health-medicine/digestive-health/heartburn-relief/cvs-antacid-chewable-tablets-assorted-fruit-skuid-689599

 

http://www.rayur.com/antacids-definition-mechanism-objectives-indications-adverse-precautions-and-risk.html

 

 

 

 

Commonly, antacid will cause diarrhoea, constipation and belching after intake. These are due to the presence of magnesium and aluminium which tend to be laxative and constipating respectively. On a serious case, overdosing antacid can lead to the development of electrolyte abnormalities like hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia is a disorder of ingesting too much calcium resulting in an elevated calcium level in the blood. This condition is often indicative of other diseases.

If a person is having mild hypercalcemia, he or she is unlikely to experience any signs or symptoms. In more severe cases, symptoms produced are related to the body parts affected by the high calcium level in one’s blood. The symptoms of are namely found in the kidneys, digestive systems, brain, as well as the bones and muscles.

Kidneys: With the excess calcium in one’s blood, the kidney have to function harder to filter it out. This results in excessive thirst and frequent urination.

Digestive systems: Hypercalcemia can lead to stomach upset, nausea, vomiting and constipation.

Brain: Hypercalcemia can interfere with the working of one’s brain thereby leading to confusion, fatigue and lethargy.

Bones and muscles: Normally, the surplus of calcium in one’s blood is leached from their bones hence weakening them. This resulted in bone pain. Some people may also experience muscle weakness from hypercalcemia.

Apart from calcium, magnesium-containing antacids also contribute crucial symptoms to people when it is overdosed. A severe overdosage of magnesium from antacid can cause a drop in blood pressure. In addition, other severe symptoms that may be life-threatening to individuals include the following:

  • Sever abdominal, pelvic, or lower back pain
  • Problems balancing, difficulty walking, and falls
  • Chest pain or pressure
  • Confusion or loss of consciousness for even a brief moment
  • Difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
  • Gradual difficulty in speaking, memory loss, tingling or weakness of extremities
  • Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias)

It is noteworthy that one should avoid taking antacids simultaneously with other medication as they are capable of affecting the absorption rate of other medication. Once the efficacy of these medication is affected, other unwanted adverse effects may then be prone to occur.

From a case study done by Fitzgibbons and Snoey, it was noted that antacid abuse most commonly happens amongst chronic alcoholics as they are more prone to experiencing indigestion. Hence, they are more inclined to seek OTC medication to relieve their indigestion and antacid will usually be prescribed to them. In addition, comorbid diseases such as gastritis, alcoholic ketoacidosis, pancreatitis, and alcohol withdrawal can further drive self-medication with antacids.

Other harmful effects of antacid that the society may not totally know of are as follows:

1) Unexpected consequences with calcium salts

a) Damage on nervous system: In Italy, a mother consumed 3–6 g of calcium carbonate(antacid) daily during her final 4 months of pregnancy to control morning sickness. Later, her female newborn developed seizures 5 days after birth. Physically, the newborn was observed to be jittery. Laboratory evaluations displayed hypocalcaemia and hyperphosphataemia (J. F. Borkenhagen, 1999).

b) Damage on Pancreas: A 68-year-old man had been taking 15–20 tablets of calcium carbonate over the last 4–5 days for gastric discomfort. Following an abdominal CT scan, the patient was diagnosed with pancreatitis.. It is believed that hypercalcaemia resulting from high-dose intake of calcium-containing antacids resulted in such a condition (Blandizzi C. & Scarpignato C., 2014).

2) Unexpected consequence with aluminium-containing antacid

Some research suggest that aluminum, and in particular aluminum-containing antacids, may contribute to the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. They found increased concentrations of aluminium in the substantia nigra of the such patients(Blandizzi C. & Scarpignato C., 2014).

 

References:

Altschuler, E. (1999). Medical Hypotheses. Aluminum-containing Antacids as a Cause of Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease, 53.

Blandizzi, C., & Scarpignato, C. (2014). Side Effects of Drugs Annual. Gastrointestinal Drugs, 36.

Borkenhagen JF, Connor EL, Stafstrom CE. Neonatal hypocalcemic seizures due to excessive maternal calcium ingestion. Pediatr Neurol 2013; 48: 469–71.

Diseases and conditions hypercalcemia. ( 2014, April 25). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/hypercalcemia/basics/symptoms/con-20031513

Kenny, T. (2014, November 24). Antacid. Retrieved from http://www.patient.co.uk/health/antacids

Magnesium overdose. (2013, September 6). Retrieved from http://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/bones-joints-and-muscles/magnesium-overdose–symptoms

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/9151.ph

http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/understanding-heartburn-basics

http://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/indigestion

http://www.healthline.com/symptom/indigestion

Reference: SEVERE METABOLIC ALKALOSIS DUE TO BAKING SODA INGESTION: CASE REPORTS OF TWO PATIENTS WITH UNSUSPECTED ANTACID OVERDOSE Leslie J. Fitzgibbons, MD* and Eric R. Snoey, MD