Do you know what Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is? GERD is a stomach acid disease characterized by a burning feeling in the chest, frequent belching, sour taste in the mouth, and even shortness of breath. This is due to the weakening of the lower esophageal sphincter muscle which is located at the bottom of the esophagus.

Well, it turns out that several risk factors can trigger GERD, one of which is smoking. How does it come? Quoted from the tempo.co page, the President of ISDE and Consultant Gastroenterohepatology Prof. Ari Fahrial Syam, MD, Ph.D., MMB, FACP, FACG explained that smoking can directly damage the esophagus. This is because the gas inhaled from cigarette smoke can trigger swelling in the stomach. When the stomach bulges, the risk of developing GERD automatically increases.
So, smoking does not only harm the health of the heart and lungs. But it also affects the health of the digestive tract.

Source: https://gaya.tempo.co/read/1125112/bukan-mitos-merokok-picu-gerd-ini-kata-ahli/full&view=ok

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