Can Heartburn Be a Sign of Something Serious

Non all of them are obvious.

By Stella Katsipoutis

Feel like you lot just can't keep that nasty stuff in your belly from bubbles up into your throat? What you're experiencing might not be run-of-the-factory heartburn. It could be a case of gastroesophageal reflux disease—GERD, for curt—a condition that causes the acid and food in your tum to ascent into your esophagus, and sometimes even enter your mouth or lungs. GERD is far from rare: In fact, it occurs in 20 percent of the U.S. population, according to the medical journal Gastroenterology. But there are also several factors that make some people an easier target for the illness.

"Everyone has a modest, normal amount of gastroesophageal reflux, but an abnormal amount of acid reflux occurs when the one-way valve between the esophagus and the tum, called the lower esophageal sphincter, becomes besides loose," saysKetan Shah, M.D., gastroenterologist at Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California. "This can occur for multiple reasons that cause intra-intestinal pressure to be abnormally elevated, including being overweight or obese, frequent overeating, lying downwardly too soon after eating, chronic straining or coughing, or chronic heavy lifting. These are typically the people who are more susceptible to GERD."

Surprisingly, as common as GERD is, diagnosing it isn't e'er a piece of (regurgitated) block. Dissimilar people tin can feel different warning signs—some of which you lot wouldn't typically remember are pointing to gastroesophageal reflux. Leaving the disease undiagnosed and untreated could set you up for not only major chronic discomfort in the curt term, but as well for bigger problems down the route: "It tin predispose the esophagus to changes that tin eventually lead to cancer," says Jennifer Katz, Thou.D., attending gastroenterology physician and assistant professor of medicine at Montefiore Medical Centre. And so if you've picked up on whatsoever of these 5 signals from your trunk lately, then GERD might be the discussion—and you should become to a doctor pronto.

Heartburn won't go away

This one's easy to spot because it is exactly what information technology says information technology is: a burning sensation in your chest. Just because heartburn is a status all of its own, many people don't play connect-the-dots and realize that persistent heartburn tin can besides be a common symptom of something more than serious. "Occasional heartburn and regurgitation is normal to a sure extent," says Shah, "simply when heartburn occurs on a regular footing, then it is likely GERD." (Kick-showtime your new, healthy routine with Women'south Wellness's 12-Calendar week Total-Body Transformation!)

Bitter taste

When GERD starts pumping nutrient and bile out of your tummy and upwardly your throat, the acidic contents can quite literally leave a bitter taste in your oral fissure. They also blaze what feels similar a scorching-hot trail through your esophagus, leaving you with a sore, burning pharynx and causing your mouth to produce an excess amount of saliva in an effort to put out the flames.

And like any real fire, this particular symptom shouldn't be taken lightly, says Shah: "This tin sometimes result in more serious problems, including esophagitis (damage from acid eroding the lining of the esophagus), hiatal hernia (when the tummy slides up above the diaphragm and into the chest), esophageal ulcers, strictures (or esophageal narrowing from scar tissue), or Barrett's esophagus (a precancerous condition and the virtually of import risk factor for esophageal cancer)."

Trouble swallowing

"Those who accept complications from GERD may have trouble swallowing or feel that certain foods get stuck in their throat when trying to consume," says Lea Ann Chen, Thou.D., gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health. This is also known as dysphagia, and it could lead to unhealthy weight loss if you consistently can't bring yourself to eat thanks to the lump you feel in your throat.

"Many people find that particular foods trigger their symptoms—similar chocolate, caffeine, spicy or acidic foods," continues Chen. "If so, they should avoid these triggers. In addition, eating frequent small meals and spacing out the time (at least three to four hours) between your final meal or drink and laying down at night may also help."

Heart Set on Feeling

This is where some detective piece of work might start coming into play. "Because the heart is also located in the chest, where GERD occurs, sometimes GERD symptoms are commonly mistaken for cardiac symptoms. Similarly, sometimes cardiac pain—like a eye attack—tin can be mistaken for GERD," says Toyia James-Stevenson, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Indiana University Health. If you're non certain whether your chest hurting is the byproduct of heart troubles or GERD, Katz says your safest bet is to talk to your dr. right abroad to dominion out any life-threatening cardiac conditions before you first worrying well-nigh GERD.

Coughing

As breadbasket acid inches upwardly your nutrient pipage, in that location'due south a possibility that some of information technology can sneak into your lungs too, causing respiratory issues ranging from no big deal (like persistent coughing, breast congestion, and hoarseness) to totally unexpected (like asthma, laryngitis, pneumonia, or wheezing). "The trouble is that GERD is not the most mutual cause of these atypical symptoms, so patients oft go through a diversity of tests and treatments earlier their doctors are able to determine that GERD is the crusade," says Shah.

If you experience recurring acid reflux and a sudden onset of a respiratory issue like asthma, give your doctor a heads-upwardly so they tin determine if GERD is the culprit behind your breathing troubles. For the less-intense side effects, like cough and hoarseness, which can get worse at nighttime, Katz recommends keeping your head elevated when you go to bed and avoiding meals three to four hours before bedtime to help minimize discomfort.

While figuring out if you lot have GERD could feel like a guessing game at times, the good news is that y'all'll have plenty of options for symptom relief and treatment if you're diagnosed. "There are several over-the-counter medications that can help with GERD, but ofttimes altering when and what you swallow can dramatically improve symptoms," says James-Stevenson. "Many chief intendance physicians treat GERD, and so talking with your family unit physician or gastroenterologist nigh your symptoms is a great showtime step."

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Source: https://www.memorialcare.org/blog/if-youre-suffering-these-5-symptoms-your-heartburn-might-actually-be-gerd

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