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Heart Burn
What is Heart Burn?
Heart burn is not a disease it’s a symptoms. It’s a burning sensation in your chest that starts in the upper abdomen and radiate all the way to your neck. Also, stomach acid that backs up into the esophagus can leave a sour taste in your mouth.
Digestive acid is stacked in your stomach by the lower esophageal. Sometimes the valve relaxes or weakens, allowing stomach acid to flow back into your esophagus.
Frequent, heartburn may indicate a more severe condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD the chronic regurgitation of acid from your stomach into your lower esophagus.
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What are the Symptoms of Heart Burn?
The primary symptoms of Heart Burn include:
Burning sensation in the center of the chest and belching.
What Causes Heart Burn?
A faulty muscle in the stomach causes heartburn. A flap is responsible at the top of the stomach that stops food from traveling back up into the esophagus. Sometimes the flap doesn't work properly and stomach acid escapes from the stomach. When the acid escapes, heartburn occurs.
Factors that contribute to Heart burn: pregnancy, smoking, eating large meals, being overweight, and wearing tight clothing around the waist.
Is Heart Burn Caused by Hiatal Hernia?
It occurs when the stomach partially sits in the chest cavity through a weakness in the diaphragm. Sometimes, a persistent hiatal hernia can cause heartburn. However, many people who experience heartburn do not have a hiatal hernia. Also, many people with a hiatal hernia do not experience heartburn. Your doctor can determine if heartburn is caused by a hiatal hernia.
Treatment of Heart Burn
Occasional bouts of heartburn are common. If you have existence heartburn or take antacids daily, consult the doctor. The heartburn may be a symptom of GERD.
If the heartburn seems worse or different from normal especially if it occurs during physical activity or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, nausea or pain radiating into the shoulder and arm seek a doctor for immediate medical attention. These signs and symptoms may indicate a heart attack. Proper diagnosis and treatment may help to survive heartburn.
Complications of Heart Burn
If you are unable to control heartburn, it can cause severe complications. Some of the most common complications of heartburn include: |
- Esophagitis
- Esophageal bleeding
- Esophageal ulcer
- Barrett's esophagus
- Strictures
- Increased risk of esophageal cancer
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