Heartburn

What is heartburn?

In heartburn, stomach acids reaches high up the esophagus or even into the mouth and irritates the sensitive mucous membrane, which can lead to a feeling of pressure behind the breastbone and to burning pain.

The reflux is also called reflux.

Heartburn sometimes occurs, for example, through the consumption of fatty foods or acidic drinks and is then rather harmless.

If heartburn occurs frequently, however, reflux may also be present. In this case, a functional disorder of the sphincter muscle that seals the stomach against the esophagus is usually the cause of the symptoms.

Causes of frequent heartburn:

Dysfunction of the sphincter muscle - Why the sphincter muscle between the stomach and esophagus can no longer perform its function properly is not conclusive clarified, but there are factors that increase the risk. These include frequent consumption of alcohol and nicotine, for example, as both relax the muscle.

Nutrition - Among other things, foods containing fat and sugar, chocolate, juices (especially from citrus fruits) and coffee favor heartburn.

Medicines - The likelihood of heartburn is increased by certain antibiotics or antihypertensive drugs, for example.

Mental Stress - Persistent stress and psychological pressure can also increase the risk of heartburn.

Severe Obesity - Especially when a lot of fat is stored in the abdomen, it also increases the pressure there, pushing the stomach contents upwards.

Pregnancy - Pregnancy can also lead to increased pressure in the abdomen and thus the heartburn.

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Various diseases - Heartburn is one of the symptoms of various diseases. These include diaphragmatic hernia, inflammation of the stomach lining or esophagus, irritable stomach or diabetes.