Frequent heartburn is a symptom of what disease?
Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest, behind the breastbone or in the upper abdomen, usually caused by the reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus, accompanied by a bitter taste in the throat or mouth. So what disease is heartburn a symptom of?
Heartburn symptoms often occur when eating too much, eating late at night, while bending over or lying down. Many studies show that about 90% of the causes of heartburn are due to gastroesophageal reflux disease. In addition, some other diseases such as gastritis, stomach ulcers, stomach cancer, gallstones, cardiovascular disease, etc. can also cause heartburn symptoms.
Here are the causes of heartburn:
- Due to eating and living habits
Unscientific eating and living habits are also the cause of acid reflux causing heartburn.
- Due to eating too much fat, eating too much: Eating too much or consuming too much fat slows down the digestive process, food stagnates in the stomach for a long time, easily producing gas, part of this gas will be pushed out through the esophagus. This gas often contains stomach acid, when passing through the esophagus and throat, it will cause an uncomfortable burning sensation.
- Due to eating carbonated drinks, alcohol, spicy foods: Stimulating foods such as carbonated drinks, alcoholic drinks, spicy foods, strong tea, mint tea, etc. can cause the stomach to secrete more acid. In addition, digestive disorders, especially in people with dilated esophageal sphincter, gas and excess acid are easily pushed up the esophagus, causing heartburn and burning in the throat.
- Due to side effects of medication
If you have a medical condition that requires medication, you may experience heartburn. For example, medications such as Glucocorticoids and NSAIDs can thin the gastric mucus, allowing gastric acid to contact the gastric mucosa and stimulate the nervous system that controls stomach contractions. When the stomach has a contraction disorder, it can easily cause food and acid to reflux into the esophagus, causing the patient to experience heartburn, cough, sore throat, etc.
In addition, heartburn is also a symptom of some diseases such as:
- Gastric ulcer disease
If you have a stomach ulcer, it will cause food digestion to be impaired, increase abnormal gastric acid secretion, stimulate nerves, disrupt stomach contractions, leading to reflux, causing continuous heartburn symptoms.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
When suffering from gastroesophageal reflux caused by a combination of factors such as: Abnormal gastric acid secretion, impaired lower esophageal sphincter function and gastric motility disorders. At that time, gastric juice will reflux into the esophagus, causing the patient to experience symptoms of heartburn, heartburn, epigastric pain...
- Lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction
If you have esophageal sphincter dysfunction, a weak or atonic lower esophageal sphincter will not close completely after food enters the stomach, allowing stomach acid to reflux into the esophagus, causing heartburn.
- Intestinal motility disorders
During digestion, food moves through the digestive tract through rhythmic contractions called peristalsis. When peristalsis is impaired, these contractions occur abnormally. At this time, food in the stomach does not empty into the small intestine as quickly as usual. The combination of factors such as food retention and increased pressure in the stomach due to slow emptying will increase the reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus.
- Coronary artery disease
If you have coronary artery disease, when you have chest pain due to cardiovascular disease, nerve impulses become sensitive and easily irritated, causing the digestive process in the stomach to be disrupted, gastric acid is pushed up into the esophagus, causing the patient to often experience heartburn.
- Stomach cancer
If you have stomach cancer, your stomach cannot function properly, causing you to experience many uncomfortable symptoms such as heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion, bloating, etc.
In addition, pregnant women can also cause heartburn. According to research, heartburn occurs in about 80% of pregnant women. The cause is due to hormonal changes combined with increased pressure on the abdomen due to the growing fetus. When the amount of progesterone hormone increases, it reduces the muscle tone of the lower esophageal sphincter and slows down gastric motility, causing food to stagnate, create gas and escape through the mouth with gastric acid, leading to heartburn symptoms during pregnancy.
In short:Heartburn is a common problem. If it is caused by eating and living habits, it needs to be adjusted to reduce uncomfortable symptoms. Patients should avoid wearing tight clothing that puts pressure on the abdomen and lower esophageal sphincter. Avoid foods that can easily cause heartburn such as: spicy, greasy, fried foods, fruits with high acid content such as oranges, tangerines, lemons, etc.
Avoid lying down immediately after eating, do light activities or sit down to rest after eating. Avoid eating late, eating late at night, eating before going to bed. Control your weight appropriately, avoid being overweight as it will put pressure on the abdomen, push the stomach up and cause reflux into the esophagus. For cases that do not improve and last for a long time, go to a medical facility for examination and treatment.
