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Heartburn or acid indigestion is one of the most common
ailments in the United States. According to the National
Institutes of Health, more than 60 million American adults
suffer from heartburn at least once a month, while 25
million adults experience heartburn every day.
Heartburn feels like a burning pain in the middle of your
chest that may move up into your throat. Heartburn occurs
when the lining of the esophagus is exposed to stomach acid
(hydrochloric acid). Symptoms of heartburn include excessive
burping, pain in the chest area, acid regurgitation, sour
taste, and bad breath.
When heartburn is treated, it poses little risk to your
overall health. It is more of an uncomfortable inconvenience
than a medical problem. Left untreated, acid reflux disease
is a complex condition says James Maher, M.D., UI Health
Care gastrointestinal specialist, with degrees of severity
ranging from only symptoms to erosive esophagitis that
damages your esophagus.
Causes
The cause is a weakness of the sphincter muscle between
the esophagus and stomach. Normally, this muscle is always
contracted, preventing acid from refluxing into the
esophagus. People with heartburn have either chronic
weakness of that muscle or inappropriate relaxation of the
muscle.
Food may trigger the discomfort but people may also wake
with symptoms of reflux without taking any food at all.
Trigger foods may include:
- Fried foods
- Foods high in fat
- Spicy foods
- Foods high in acid
- Coffee and tea
- Raw vegetables
- Carbonated beverages
- Chocolate (Sigh, it's true.)
Plus
- Overeating
- Eating late in the evening
- Hectic lifestyle
- Stress
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Obesity
- Some medications--check with your physician
Treatments
There is new hope for heartburn sufferers. Changes in
lifestyle, medical advice, and proper medication can bring
relief to millions of people.
Your lifestyle does make a difference. What you eat, when
you eat, and how you live can affect the severity of
heartburn symptoms. Some lifestyle changes you may want to
talk to your doctor about could include:
- Losing weight/maintaining a healthy weight
- Using a common sense approach to eating
- Avoiding known trigger foods
- Avoiding bedtime snacks
- Elevating the head of your bed by six inches
- Stopping smoking
- Wearing loose-fitting clothes
Over-the-counter antacids, such as Tums or Rolaids,
neutralize existing acid to provide short-term relief while
H2 receptor blockers, such as Pepcid AC or Zantac 75, reduce
acid production, allowing many sufferers to both relieve and
possibly eliminate heartburn symptoms for a longer time.
However, if you use these medications for longer than two
weeks without any improvement, you should see your doctor
who may prescribe stronger medication.
How is GERD different?
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when the
lower esophageal sphincter muscle does not close properly
and stomach contents splash back, or reflux, into the
esophagus. The lower esophageal sphincter muscle is a ring
of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus that opens only
when you swallow to allow food into the stomach. If this
muscle weakens or relaxes at the wrong time, stomach acid
backs up causing heartburn. GERD sufferers usually require
prescription-strength medication.
For more information
Listed above are several Web sites that offer additional
information on this topic. University of Iowa Health Care
does not sponsor or endorse these sites, or guarantee the
accuracy of the information contained on these sites. These
links are here for general information only, and should not
be used for personal diagnosis or treatment. If you have any
questions, please contact UI
Health Access.
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