I have had gerd, esophogitis for about 9 years now. Yes, Yes it does cause congestion. Unsure why. I think it is the bodies reaction to inflammation. When the gerd is under control I do not cough as much. I have never been able to get a good grip on GERD a lot of alternative doctors say it is curable with the proper diet and that the foods today are terrible! Also, I was told another reason is Candida Albican over taking your system. A quick way to check this is first thing in the morning gather up mucos in your mouth and spit into a glass of water. Make sure the glass is clear. Wait 20 minutes and look in. If you see long thread like cloudy white things, you can chalk it up to candida. Which also causes gerd! To fix this there are all kinds of products out there (probiotics, threelac...etc..) also, a quick way to deal is ask your docor for Diflucan and tell him why you want it (gastro dr). You need to reasearch this candida because it really sounds like this is a part of your problem!! Good luck.