These damaged cells can transform into esophageal adenocarcinoma, a potentially fatal cancer. If GERD is suspected, your doctor may perform an endoscopy, a procedure in which a lighted scope is inserted into the esophagus, to examine the digestive tract.
If you are experiencing severe abdominal pain or bloating in addition to heartburn, you may be suffering from gastritis. Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining and may be caused by bacteria, infection, chronic vomiting, or excessive use of alcohol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen. An endoscopy will reveal the extent of the damage to your stomach lining. A persistent cough or hiccup may be a sign of a hiatal hernia, a condition in which part of the stomach slips through a hole in the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is the muscle between the chest and the abdomen that plays a crucial role in breathing: when your diaphragm contracts, it inflates your lungs, allowing you to inhale. It has a small opening through which the esophagus passes. If the stomach slips through this opening, it can cause severe heartburn, in addition to chest or abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, or shortness of breath. If you find that it is difficult or painful to swallow in addition to suffering from heartburn, you may have esophagitis.
More Information Heartburn or chest pain? Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. How heartburn and GERD occur Acid reflux occurs when the sphincter muscle at the lower end of your esophagus relaxes at the wrong time, allowing stomach acid to back up into your esophagus.
Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Acid reflux. American College of Gastroenterology. Accessed March 2, Feldman M, et al. Symptoms of esophageal disease. Philadelphia, Pa. Kahrilas PJ. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux in adults. Warning signs of a heart attack. American Heart Association. Accessed March 8, Goldman L, et al. Gastrointestinal endoscopy.
In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. Pathophysiology of reflux esophagitis. Winter HS. Management of gastroesophageal reflux disease in children and adolescents. If you have heartburn due to hiatal hernia, your doctor will typically prescribe acid-suppressing drugs, and recommend lifestyle changes like eating smaller meals, avoiding alcohol, and not eating right before bed.
In rare cases, surgical repair may be warranted. A person can have both anxiety-related heartburn and GERD-related heartburn. Reducing anxiety and stress through, for example, exercise, relaxation, and therapy, can also ease heartburn.
Madanick says that, as with other conditions that masquerade as GERD, "many times the only times we will see a patient…is when the over-the-counter medications haven't worked, because the medications tend to be very effective for treating simple heartburn. By Anne Harding Updated October 14, Save Pin More.
What to know about that burning feeling in your chest—and when to see a doctor. Start Slideshow. Basically, heartburn happens when your esophagus the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach relaxes too much and stomach acid comes back up into your esophagus, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIDDK.
It can be managed by making changes to your diet, like cutting back on coffee and alcohol, or through medications. Having heartburn every once in a while, like after a spicy meal or taking a nap too soon after eating, is normal; but if it occurs more than twice a week for more than a few weeks, it's time to see a doctor—in that case, you could have gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD , a chronic, sometimes damaging form of heartburn.
But GERD isn't the only issue that is related to heartburn. Many other conditions—some even life-threatening—can mimic the feeling of heartburn. Here, nine other conditions that heartburn could be masquerading as—and when to see your doctor about it. Angina, which is chest pain or discomfort caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart, according to the American Heart Association AHA , can feel like indigestion or heartburn. If you're 50 or older and getting heartburn—especially if you haven't had this kind of pain before—it can also raise suspicion of angina, as can other heart disease risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease.
Gallstones are hard, small, pebble-like masses that develop in your gallbladder, according to the NIDDK. Although gallstones don't always cause symptoms, a stone blocking your bile duct can hurt, usually in the middle or upper-right side of the abdomen.
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