Symptoms, causes and consequences of heartburn

Heartburn is a burning sensation behind the sternum that spreads throughout the esophagus. An unpleasant symptom most often occurs after eating a large amount of food and in a supine position. Frequent heartburn worsens the quality of human life and may indicate dangerous pathologies that lead to dangerous consequences.

Causes of Heartburn

A common cause of heartburn is an increased acidity of the stomach and a weakening of the esophageal sphincter, which leads to reflux.

The acidic contents of the stomach can enter the esophagus for the following reasons:

• frequent stresses and neurosis, which are accompanied by increased anxiety;
• improper and inadequate nutrition, which causes a weakening of the esophageal sphincter;
• the abuse of fried, spicy and fatty dishes;
• taking certain groups of drugs;
• bad habits and overeating;
• wearing tight belts and lifting heavy objects;
• weakening of the muscles responsible for opening the esophagus;
• hiatal hernia;

Often the cause of an unpleasant symptom are diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis with high acidity, cholecystitis, urolithiasis and peptic ulcer. Often the pathology worries the future mothers in the last weeks of pregnancy. This is due to the fact that the growing uterus strongly presses on the stomach and shifts it upwards.

Characteristic symptoms and signs of heartburn

The most characteristic manifestations of heartburn are such symptoms as feeling the heat, burning in the sternum and burning. In addition, the following clinical picture may develop:

• increased salivation and nausea;
• belching undigested food with a specific flavor;
• pain that may radiate to the shoulder, neck, and other areas;
• hoarseness due to irritation of the mucous membrane due to acid regurgitation and frequent coughing;
• feeling of a foreign object in the throat;
• belching air with a neutral or rotten smell.

With a constant burning sensation behind the sternum, characteristic symptoms bother a person with a frequency of once every three hours. In that case, if they appear no more than 3 times a month, they talk about the initial stage of pathology. The occurrence of seizures every 2-3 days indicates a disease of moderate severity. In case of vomiting with blood, pain syndrome and dark stool, along with heartburn, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.

How to cope with heartburn with medication

For heartburn, medications are prescribed strictly according to indications, taking into account the diagnosis. When the pathologies of the digestive system can be prescribed medications of several groups. With rare bouts of burning in the esophagus and their light course, the main focus is on eliminating unpleasant symptoms and reducing reflux.

Treatment of heartburn is usually carried out with the use of various drugs, depending on the severity of the disease.

Antacids help eliminate the discomfort behind the sternum and reduce stomach pain in acid-dependent pathologies. Medicines help to neutralize the acid that is present in the gastric juice. Antacids help alleviate the condition of the pathology, but their action is short-lived.

The most effective drugs of this group are:

• Rennie;
• Gastal;
• Maalox;
• Phosphalugel;
• Gastracid;
• Hydrotalcite.

Taking antacids during heartburn therapy is necessary after careful study of the instructions. Children under 10 years of age, during pregnancy and breastfeeding to take such medicines is prohibited.

Antisecretory agents help reduce the production of acid, but their reception is possible only on prescription. Their help is resorted to if antacids and a special diet do not give a positive effect. The effect of drugs can last up to 8 hours, so even a one-time reception helps to eliminate heartburn.

The following medications may be prescribed for the treatment of pathology:

• Omeprazole;
• Omez;
• Omitox;
• Rabeprazole.

Symptomatic medication is not always sufficient for effective therapy. Experts recommend additionally taking hepatoprotectors, with the help of which it is possible to influence the cause of unpleasant symptoms. Such medications as gastroprotectors protect the damaged gastric mucosa and form a kind of film on it.

Prokinetics are the means by which it is possible to improve the motor function of the gastrointestinal tract. Medicines are widely used in the complex treatment of peptic ulcer and functional disorders of the digestive system. Reception means allows to increase the tone of the esophageal sphincter and prevent the development of reflux. Certain types of prokinetics can cause serious adverse reactions, so self-treatment with their help is better to refuse.

Treatment of folk remedies

To resort to the help of folk remedies is allowed only if there are no medicines on hand.

Relieve the state get with the following recipes:

1. Milk. With it, it is possible to neutralize hydrochloric acid for a short time and eliminate the unpleasant symptom. However, several hours later, the milk stimulates the production of gastric juice, and the patient's condition worsens even more.
2. Soda solution. With heartburn, quick relief is achieved with soda, but the effect is very short. The ingestion of soda in the stomach causes the formation of large amounts of carbon dioxide, which stretches the body and increases the pressure in it. This leads to the fact that soon the unpleasant symptom returns.
3. Potato. Root helps to quickly deal with unpleasant symptoms of heartburn. It is recommended to chew raw potato pieces or squeeze the juice and drink it 1-2 tablespoons several times during the day.

At home, you can also cook a decoction based on the herb fennel, dill and chopped aniseed seeds. You need a tablespoon of such a mixture to pour a glass of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes to infuse. Prepared medicine to drink 1-2 glasses several times a day.

It is recommended to exclude coffee, strong tea and instant chicory from the diet, since they negatively affect the state of the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus. In addition, you should stop smoking and self-administration of potent drugs.

Heartburn effects

Persistent heartburn most often indicates the progression in the human body of any disease. It is for this reason that the often-felt burning sensation behind the sternum requires an obligatory visit to a doctor, because it can be a patient’s life.

Too long exposure to acid on the esophageal mucosa leads to the development of such a pathological condition as esophagitis. In some situations, there is the appearance of erosion and peptic ulcers, which can cause bleeding. Complication of prolonged heartburn can become scar narrowing of the esophagus, which prevents proper nutrition.

In some patients, chronic inflammation causes degeneration of the epithelium of the mucous membrane of the esophagus. In medical practice, this pathology is called Barrett syndrome and is considered a precancerous condition. Long-term neglect of heartburn can lead to the development of adenocarcinoma and death.

Heartburn can be avoided with prophylaxis, which includes the following measures:

• eat food in small portions;
• eliminate fatty and fried foods from the diet;
• use at least 1.5 liters of liquid throughout the day;
• have dinner a few hours before bedtime;
• avoid physical surge after eating.

Heartburn often becomes a manifestation of dangerous diseases occurring in the human body. In the event that such a symptom torments too often, then you should not leave it unattended. Timely treatment allows you to avoid the development of dangerous complications and permanently get rid of unpleasant sensations.

Watch the video: Heartburn, Acid Reflux, GERD-Mayo Clinic (May 2024).