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A person suffering from chronic Acid Reflux disease, must be very alert about the possibility of it degenerating into something, that is life threatening.

For one that suffers from acid reflux for a lifetime, it can contribute to some serious conditions. Acid comes up in the esophagus, scars and burns the walls. Food continues down this path, irritating the ulcerated surface, affecting the movement of esophageal contractions; this all adds to the problem.

Infants and children who have Acid reflux may not vomit, but may still have stomach contents that move up the food pipe and spill over into the windpipe and affect the lungs. Asthma, pneumonia, and even SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) can happen. Infants and children with reflux who vomit frequently may display unsatisfactory growth.

When stomach fluids reflux into the esophagus, it damages the lining. When this occurs, the body will react with inflammation in what is called Erosive Esophagitis.

When ulcers and the additional inflammation are present, it can lead to bleeding into the esophagus. In severe cases, the bleeding can lead to such things as severe anemia, requiring blood transfusions, and treatments by surgery or endoscope.

All this scar tissue and ulceration of the wall of the food pipe, effectively narrows it, causing a natural barrier to easy passage of food. This makes swallowing difficult. Airways narrowing can cause shortness of breath and wheezing.

After being subjected to gastric acid reflux for such a long time, the cells in the lining of the esophageal wall can change. The cells in the walls can become pre-cancerous, then later cancerous. This condition (Barrett's esophagus) occurs in roughly 10% of all acid reflux patients. There are more and more people being diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus today.

There are also a group of nerves in the lower part of the esophagus which are aggravated by the acid reflux. Sometimes them getting disturbed causes what we call heartburn. There are other people in which these nerves will disturb other nerves. These nerves will cause constriction of the airways, and cause the person to cough and get breathless.