Many different things can triggerheartburn, including spicy foods, carbonated beverages, certain medications, and even stress.
Pregnancy, smoking, and obesity can also predispose you toacid refluxand heartburn.
Such cases require more aggressive treatment and possibly even surgery.
pipat wongsawang / Getty Images
pipat wongsawang / Getty Images
Causes
Heartburn is a symptom ofacid reflux.
The risk can increase as you get older.
Most cases are triggered by what you eat and drink.
Both can lead to reflux.
Drugs commonly associated with this include:
Pregnancy
Heartburn is also common in pregnancy.
This is resulting from increases in the hormonesprogesteroneandestrogen, which relaxes the LES.
Quitting has the opposite effect.
Excessive body weight can put pressure on the esophagus and LES in the same way as pregnancy.
Anxiety
Anxietycan cause heartburn due to the release of the stress hormone calledcortisol.
When cortisol levels are high, it redirects blood flow from your digestive tract to your muscles.
The loss of blood flow in the stomach increases the secretion of stomach acids.
Heartburn is especially common when stress levels are high.
This can cause the esophagus to become twisted, contorting the LES and allowing stomach acids to leak.
With a hiatal hernia, heartburn tends to worsen when you bend over or lie down.
Chest pain anddifficulty swallowingare also common.
pyloriinfectionor the overuse ofnonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)).
Belching, nausea, stomach pain, and blood in stools are also common.
The backflow of acids into the esophagus can also causeesophageal ulcersandesophagitis(esophageal inflammation).
The swelling can affect the LES and how well it opens and closes.
Other symptoms include coughing, chest pain, and difficulty swallowing.
GERD differs from occasional heartburn in that symptoms are often severe enough to awaken you at night.
Studies suggest that up to 80% of people with GERD experience symptoms at night.
Men and women can experience GERD differently.
Overall, women are more likely to report pain, belching, and regurgitation than men.
Many men only report heartburn as a symptom.
While the same can occur in women, they tend to occur far later in life.
The main difference between aheart attack and GERDis that symptoms don’t tend to ease with a heart attack.
While they may ebb and flow with GERD, they will eventually calm down.
These do not occur with a heart attack.
Most cases are self-limiting, meaning that they resolve on their own without treatment.
Most involve simple lifestyle changes.
Special tools can then be used to repair the valve so that it shuts properly.
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