Acid reflux occurs when the sphincter muscle at the lower end of your esophagus relaxes at the wrong time, allowing stomach acid to back up into your esophagus this can cause heartburn and other signs and symptoms frequent or constant reflux can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (gerd). Signs and symptoms of acid reflux in adults. If you have gastroesophageal reflux (ger), you may taste food or stomach acid in the back of your mouth the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (gerd) is regular heartburn, a painful, burning feeling in the middle of your chest, behind your breastbone, and in the middle of your abdomen not all adults with gerd have heartburn.
signs and symptoms of acid reflux in adults
