What Causes Chronic Heartburn to Occur?

Chronic heartburn is a problem that can affect a small percentage of heartburn sufferers and is where the problem lasts for longer periods than normal or occurs with a greater frequency than twice a week.

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 LES opens when food passes throug and is meant to close and prevent acid from moving back into the esophagus. Unfortunately, this does not always work as it should.

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.

If your food tube narrows, it can make swallowing hard. Untreated, this problem can lead to more serious conditions such as various forms of cancer.

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 condition is also a cause of persistent pyrosis, and if severe, surgical intervention may be necessary. Hiatal, or hiatus hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes upwards though a space in the diaphragm called the hiatus.

If the stomach is bulging through, it can place pressure on the LES, preventing it from closing properly.

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.

Symptoms are the same as GERD with the associated complications, which include nausea, heartburn, and regurgitation. Treatment is virtually the same as it is for GERD as well.

Therefore, it is a good idea to get a medical diagnosis to determine exactly what the problem is and the best possible treatment.


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Jared Wright is the marketing manager of Clivir.com where people meet to learn from one another on anything under the sun. You can follow the links to find health related articles such as causes of heartburn and heartburn diet and recipe.