Does GERD Cause Ear Pain

It doesn’t really make sense to think that a gastrointestinal issue is going to mess your ears. But it’s not uncommon to get bubbly ears if you have a stomach flu, and for this reason it’s not so far fetched to ask does GERD cause ear pain. The acronym is for gastroesophageal reflux disease, and at the root of the problem is the fact that the esophagus doesn’t have the same lining that the stomach does. Digestive acid is fine in the stomach, but in the esophagus it’s not fine at all. This is what happens when a person has chronic heartburn, but can GERD affect your ears? 

Let’s add another body part to the discussion here – eustachian tubes. They connect the back of a person’s throat to their middle ear and drain fluid created in the ears, and they need to be super sensitive in order to do their job properly. That sensitivity means they pick up on everything very acutely, and if acid refluxes farther up the esophagus then some of it may be in the throat and if this irritates the eustachian tube on either side then pain can result from it. This irritation can also be the explanation for can GERD cause ringing in the ears.  

This is something that is more common for children, and it may occur with greater frequency when a person is lying down. Other symptoms that may occur with this are a burning sensation in the ear, clogged ears or congestion, or even temporary hearing loss. Sufferers may also feel that their ears are ‘full’ and this odd sensation is a little bothersome. That’s the basics for does GERD cause ear pain, although it usually is the case that only people who have bad acid reflux will experience this side effect.  

Inhibit that Pump 

We will now change direction with does GERD cause ear pain and look at preventing this type of chronic acid reflux. If you’re one of the people who has gastroesophageal reflux disease you’ve probably learned through trial and error that some foods really aggravate it, and avoiding them is always going to be the foremost piece of advice if you have bad acid reflux. Some people drink alkaline water if they know that acid reflux is probably upcoming based on what they eat, but for most people dietary changes and incremental fixes aren’t going to be enough.  

Instead, what their doctor will them is that they need to start on a proton-pump inhibitor medication like Nexium. This pump is where digestive stomach acids come from and any time something is inhibited it does less of what it’s designed to do. Less of that acid being present means there is less of it that can end up in the esophagus and even less likely any of it goes so far up that it can upset the eustachian tubes and cause ear pain. That’s all there is to say about does GERD cause ear pain, and if it is for you then now you’ll know the workings of it. Using an antacid will prevent this from happening.