Sometimes people may experience what they think is just acid reflux, but a more serious is actually going on. If you get any of the following symptoms you should seek immediate medical attention:

• Chest pain or upper tummy pain worse on exertion
• Difficulty swallowing foods or liquids
• Persistent pain on swallowing
• Persistent vomiting
• Vomiting blood or dark brown vomit
• Unexplained weight loss
• Shortness of breath
• Altered bowel habit (diarrhoea or constipation) for more than 6 weeks
• Altered stool (dark or black poo)
• Lump in the abdomen (tummy)
• Unexplained low iron levels or anaemia (low blood count)
• Jaundice (yellow discolouration of the skin or eyes)
• New GORD symptoms in someone aged 55 years or over
• Acid reflux/ GORD symptoms with any of the following:
  • Family history of stomach or oesophageal cancer in more than two first degree relatives
  • Barrett’s oesophagus (a condition where the cells lining the lower oesophagus change to resemble those of the stomach/intestine, which have a risk of turning cancerous over time)
  • Pernicious anaemia (a condition associated with low Vitamin B12)
  • Previous stomach ulcer surgery
  • A previous diagnosis of the following stomach conditions: dysplasia, atrophic gastritis or intestinal metaplasia