I've read a theory for acid reflux in older people that it's caused by not enough stomach acid.
One research I was listening to said that it doesn't make intuitive sense that we make less acid in our stomachs as we age and yet the occurrence of reflux increases in older populations, and yet we prescribe proton pump inhibitors to reduce acid production.
Therefore the suggestion was that the lack of acid caused food to digest slower and for fermentation to occur and aggravate whatever acid that is there, upwards.
The lower acidity also favors any H. pylori infection you might have (i.e. makes life easier for the pathogen). It was suggested to me that that's the main problem with antiacids and PPIs.
(IANAD. I had GERD for weeks after a surgery but avoided PPIs for this reason.)
PPIs suck big time (going off omeprazole was hell), but I've had good experiences with famotidine, which is actually an antihistamine! So if the GERD menace ever comes back I recommend picking up some Pepcid.
One research I was listening to said that it doesn't make intuitive sense that we make less acid in our stomachs as we age and yet the occurrence of reflux increases in older populations, and yet we prescribe proton pump inhibitors to reduce acid production.
Therefore the suggestion was that the lack of acid caused food to digest slower and for fermentation to occur and aggravate whatever acid that is there, upwards.