SEVEN LEADING CAUSES OF HEARTBURN

What is  Heartburn ?



Heartburn is a burning and painful feeling in the chest just behind the chest-bone. In a normal person,the part where the food pipe meets the stomach is guarded by muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter. The sphincter ensures movement of food from the food pipe into the stomach,and at the same time prevents contents of the stomach from moving back into the food pipe. In some cases however, the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter may be reduced, allowing the acidiccontents of the stomach to move back into the food pipe. This results in symptoms of heartburn.

Heartburn may also occur due to direct irritation of the food pipe. The pain of heartburn typicaly appears after a meal and is increased if the person lies down soon after the meal. Patients with reflux symptoms usually experience heartburn at least twice a week.

On long term, reflux can cause complications including cancer of the food pipe in some individuals. Reflux not only causes inflammation of the food pipe; the acid may reflux into the respiratory tract resulting in cough, laryngitis (inflammation of the sound box), pharyngitis (inflammation of the upper throat), sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses) and lung complications like bronchitis, asthma, and pneumonia. Once heartburn is diagnosed, it is important to treat it early toprevent complications.

Leading causes of heartburn.

  1. Substances that irritate the food pipe: Substances like spicy foods, citrus fruits, cigarette smoke and aspirin-like painkillers that irritate the food pipe can result in heartburn.
  2. Decreased lower esophageal sphincter tone: In many cases, the cause of decreased tone of the lower esophageal sphincter is not known. In other cases, it may be due to:
  3. Intake of certain foods and beverages: Certain foods and beverages like peppermint, caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, and soft drinks, chocolate, fatty foods, and alcohol decrease the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter resulting in reflux and heartburn.
  4. Scleroderma: Patients with autoimmune conditions like scleroderma may have a decreased lower esophageal sphincter tone resulting in reflux.

5. Smoking: In addition to acting as an irritant, smoking also decreases lower esophageal sphincter tone leading to reflux.

            


6. Medications: Some medications like anticholinergic drugs and smooth muscle relaxants relax the lower esophageal tone and result in reflux.

7. Surgery: Damage to the lower esophageal sphincter due to surgery can decrease the tone of the lower esophageal sphincter.


Compiled by Wilbert Masamba

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CAUSES OF NAUSEA & VOMITING

Image
  Nausea & Vomiting. What is nausea and vomiting? Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of stomach contents through the mouth, whereas nausea is the unpleasant sensation that precedes vomiting. The type of vomiting and associated symptoms  could help to diagnose the cause of vomiting. 1. An abrupt onset of nausea and vomiting may be due to food poisoning, infection of the pancreasor gall bladder, or intake of medications or drugs. 2. Vomiting with diarrhea and malaise may indicate a viral cause. 3. Vomiting early in the morning before breakfast may be due to pregnancy, alcohol intake or high urea levels in the blood. 4. Vomiting one to four hours after a meal may be due to an obstruction in the stomach outlet due to a congenita problem called pyloric stenosis or a tumor. 5. Vomiting with involuntary eye movements may be due to a cause in the inner ear that takes care of balance. 6.Vomiting of bile may be due to an obstruction in the small intestines. 7.Vomiting with weight lo...
Read more

MAIN CAUSES OF FLATULENCE!

Flatulence is a condition of having excessive gas in the stomach or intestine. This may cause a great deal of discomfort and may lead to other embarrassing symptoms like burping or belching. The gas (flatus) formed in the stomach or intestine is a by-product of digestion. The primary gases in flatus include nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon-di-oxide, oxygen and methane. The gases are produced in direct proportions to the bacteria present in the colon of the digestive tract, that helps to digestor ferment the undigested food that reaches the colon. Swallowing air, eating certain types of foods like beans, improper digestion, impaired bowel movement and la ctase deficiency are some of the main reasons for flatulence. High fat food must be avoided in those suffering from flatulence. If lactose intolerance occurs in a flatulent individual then milk (and milk products) must be avoided. Gas : A certain amount of gas is always present in the Gl tract of everyone. Anormal individual passes gas about ...
Read more