Conditions That Cause Chronic Heartburn

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If you suffer from heartburn that occurs more than twice a week and lasts for hours at a time, your heartburn is considered chronic. Heartburn normally lasts for just a few minutes, but if underlying conditions are present, it can become a chronic problem.

Heartburn has many names, such as pyrosis, acid reflux, and acid indigestion to name a few. It's root cause is lifestyle or diet, that relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), hindering proper closure.

The function of the LES is to open when food passes through to the stomach, then closes to prevent reflux of stomach acids back into the esophagus. Unfortunately, this does not always occur in the presence of some health conditions.

Conditions that cause chronic heartburn:

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD):

GERD is a condition that causes gastric acids to flow backwards into the esophagus which then causes searing chest pain and can also cause bleeding and scarring.

A narrowing of the food tube follows making it hard to swallow. If this condition goes undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to more serious medical problems such as stomach cancer and cancer of the esophagus.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease costs approximately 10 billion dollars per year in medical expenses, with 63% of that is directly related to the cost of medications to reduce symptoms.

People who suffer from this problem will generally spend many nights unable to sleep and will have a much lower quality of life as a result.

Some symptoms of GERD include, relentless heartburn, belching, halitosis, and inflamed gingiva (gums). Treatment usually involves antacids, H2 antagonists, and proton pump inhibitors to reduce symptoms.

Hiatal Hernia:

This form of hernia occurs when the stomach pushes through the hiatus, which is a part of the diaphragm. It may require surgical treatment.

The hiatus sometimes is larger than it should be, allowing for the stomach to bulge through it. This position puts pressure on the LES so that it doesn't close properly, causing acid reflux.

There are two forms of hiatus hernia:

Sliding - this is where the stomach slides up and down as you swallow and is the most common form.

Paraesophageal - A portion 0f the stomach is located beside the esophagus, blocking food from entering the stomach. The danger with this form is that the stomach's blood supply can be cut off ,and may require surgical intervention.

The symptoms are similar to those of GERD as are the treatment options.

Check with your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment if you are having symptoms of conditions that cause chronic heartburn.

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Source by Jared Wright