Heartburn Symptoms and Causes

You may have heard or read that heartburn is associated with a condition called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease or GORD. This is a general term, sometimes used by doctors, that takes in acid-related problems such as acid reflux and heartburn, oesophagitis (inflammation of the food pipe) and pain or difficulty when swallowing.¹

In this article however, we will concentrate on heartburn alone, since this may be the only aspect of GORD that affects you.

What are the symptoms associated with heartburn?

Heartburn is the hot, burning pain you may feel as the result of acid from your stomach coming up, or being pushed up, into your oesophagus, or food pipe. The lining in your oesophagus isn't designed to protect against the effect of too much stomach acid for too long. It simply isn't supposed to be there.  So if it does get into your oesophagus, it can cause various symptoms:

• A hot pain or burning sensation in the chest - usually behind your breast bone (sternum) - and also in the back of your throat
• A tight feeling in your chest area
• An acidic taste that may come with a feeling of sickness
• The back of the throat can feel hoarse, together with a bitter taste

These feelings may only last for a minute or two and then go away. But often they can continue for several minutes. And with severe episodes of heartburn, the symptoms may continue for several hours. If this has happened to you, it may also have resulted in disruption to your work, a social occasion or family activities.

Diagnosing heartburn

Doctors are very familiar with heartburn, since it is a common condition. If you've felt the need to go to your doctor, you may have already guessed your symptoms are those of heartburn. But your doctor will probably ask you questions like: How long have you been suffering? When do you suffer? What have you been eating? Does it ever get very bad?

With 1 in 5 people suffering from heartburn and who may experience symptoms every week¹ , heartburn is usually diagnosed easily. However, if your doctor suspects there may be an underlying problem associated with your symptoms, you may be referred to hospital for tests, such as a gastroscopy. This is when a doctor takes a look at what may be going on in your oesophagus and stomach by using an endoscope - a thin flexible tube with a light and camera at the end.

What causes heartburn?

There are several reasons why you could be suffering from heartburn.  Some people have a weak LOS (Lower Oesophageal Sphincter). This is the ring of muscle at the bottom of the oesophagus that opens to let food into the stomach, and then closes to keep the stomach contents in. If it isn't working correctly, stomach acid may be allowed to reflux out and heartburn can result. Other reasons can be grouped into 3 broad categories:

The way you eat

• Big meals or overeating
• Irregular meal times
• Eating on the run
• Eating quickly
• Eating late at night - stomach acid may continue being produced to digest the food while you‘re in bed, or asleep

What you eat

• Foods: fatty foods, spicy foods, chocolate, mint or tomato products are all known triggers of heartburn
• Drinks: alcohol, very hot drinks, caffeine and citrus juices can also be triggers

Other causes

• The side effects of some medicines, which can include those for heart problems, asthma and high blood pressure, and other medications known as NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
• Carrying a little too much weight can cause extra pressure on the stomach, pushing acid into the oesophagus, and wearing tight clothes can have a similar effect
• Smoking can encourage acid production. It can also cause the muscle or sphincter at the top of the  stomach and base of the oesophagus to relax, which can allow acid to escape more easily
• Stress can contribute to heartburn
• Pregnancy - hormonal changes and the pressure put on the stomach and digestive tract by a growing baby are two well-known causes of heartburn during pregnancy

Preventing heartburn

If any of the causes listed above apply to you, try to adjust your eating habits or lifestyle. If you don't know what foods may trigger your heartburn, it could be worth keeping a diary of when you had the symptoms. In this way you may be able to link it with a certain food. Perhaps it's due to one of the ingredients in the food you eat that you're not aware of. So take a look at the ingredients list on food packaging to see if it helps. Different foods, or ingredients (like pepper), can trigger heartburn in different people, so you may need to do a bit of detective work to find out!

Treating heartburn

While you're trying to find the particular trigger that causes you to suffer from heartburn, or while you make some lifestyle adjustments that can reduce of stop you from suffering, you may continue to get heartburn. If so, why not consider Gaviscon Extra?

Gaviscon Extra works in 2 ways:

1. It contains a rafting agent, sodium alginate, which gets to work instantly to create a protective barrier to stomach acid in the form of a raft (or layer) on top of your stomach contents. This helps to stop acid getting up into your oesophagus
2. It also contains calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, which work quickly to neutralise stomach acid

Gaviscon offers a long-lasting effect that's up to twice as long as an antacid.

If you are ever in any doubt about whether you have heartburn, always seek medical advice. You may also need to consider seeing your doctor if your symptoms become very frequent or get much worse.

 

 

All information presented is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. Gaviscon Extra Oral Suspension, and Gaviscon Extra Chewable Tablets contain Sodium alginate, Sodium hydrogen carbonate, Calcium carbonate for Heartburn & Indigestion. Always read the label. If symptoms are severe or prolonged you should consult a doctor or pharmacist. 

 

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