Common causes of heartburn

Heartburn can seem like just a minor annoyance. However, if you are suffering from chronic heartburn, it can be important to determine the cause. Just treating your heartburn may not be enough. It is important to determine exactly what is causing your heartburn, so that they underlying cause can be treated. Not only will you be more comfortable, you will be preventing potentially serious problems in the future.

Heartburn happens when the valve that separates the stomach from the esophagus (which is called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES) has not, for whatever reason, closed tight enough. The mechanism of the LES means that it has to relax in order to allow the food you have eaten, to go down. However, when it relaxes at the wrong time, or relaxes too often, then that allows heartburn to occur. Heartburn is when acid is allowed to reflux back up into the esophagus.

There are several different conditions that can cause this to happen. If you suspect any one of these is causing your heartburn, it is advised that you have a consultation with your health care professional immediately.

• Hiatal hernia-Usually there is sufficient pressure from the diaphragm (which is the large muscle separating the stomach and the chest) to help hold the LES valve closed. However, if you have a hiatal hernia, then part of the stomach bulges through the diaphragm into the chest. When this happens it causes acid to be pulled up into the chest and keeps the LES from working appropriately. It is important to understand this because many people have this condition and never realize it. Chronic acid reflux can be the only symptom.


• Pregnancy-It has been found that the hormonal changes during the first trimester of pregnancy seem to weaken and relax the LES. However, later in the pregnancy, pressure is the big problem. Just the pressure on a woman's abdomen during pregnancy may be enough to throw the valve out of its proper position. The pressure on a pregnant women's abdomen, can overcome even a normal LES. This will then force food and acid back up into the esophagus.


• Weakened valve-It is estimated that approximately 25% of people with heartburn have Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is a condition that is characterized by two or more episodes of heartburn a week. This generally happens because they have a weakened LES. However, while this causes more frequent reflux, there is little is known about how or why it occurs. Studies show that this weakened muscle; it is more common in older people and is often associated with obesity.


• Slow digestion-There are people who have chronic heartburn, who simply have what is called delayed gastric emptying. When this happens the stomach doesn't empty in the right direction. This means that instead of going the appropriate forward way, it goes the wrong way and reflux occurs. This is a more unusual cause of heartburn; however, it appears to be more common in people with diabetes. In addition, when blood sugar is too high for too long, as can occur in diabetes, it can damage the nerves that help move food through the digestive tract.


• Obesity-This may seem patently obvious, however, studies have shown that eating too much, eating too fast, and eating the wrong things (such as high-fat foods, carbonated beverages etc) are the things that tend to promote reflux. Stuffing your stomach to the edge with a big meal increases your chances of heartburn by placing added pressure on the abdomen. What you are doing is basically mimicking the effects of pregnancy. Obesity in general may do the same, and weight loss can often help.