Heartburn Care

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If you have heartburn or reflux twice a week or more, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Heartburn is the most common symptom, but you may also experience:

• Hoarseness or sore throat
• Frequent swallowing
• Asthma or asthma-like symptoms
• Pain or discomfort in the chest
• Sleep disruption (unable to sleep lying down)
• Bloating
• Excessive clearing of the throat
• Persistent cough
• Burning in the mouth or throat
• Intolerance of certain foods
• Dental erosions or therapy-resistant gum disease or inflammation

Normally, after swallowing, a valve between the esophagus and stomach opens to allow food to pass and then closes to prevent stomach contents from "refluxing" back into the esophagus. For people who suffer from GERD, this valve is dysfunctional and unable to prevent acid from refluxing into the esophagus, thus causing a burning sensation in the chest.

While it can be a symptom of many conditions, heartburn is the sensation usually associated with acid reflux. Acid reflux occurs when acid from the stomach leaks back up into the esophagus. The resulting symptom may be heartburn. People with heartburn feel discomfort or burning in the upper abdomen, below the breastbone. They can also feel burning in the throat, have difficulty swallowing or develop a chronic cough.

Causes of Heartburn
Heartburn causes a burning pain in the chest and can become more and more severe. It’s important to know what causes heartburn to treat and prevent it.

Heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux. It occurs when the esophageal sphincter (LES), the muscle fibers between the stomach and the esophagus, relax or are too weak to tighten completely, allowing acid from the stomach to leak back into the esophagus.

The LES can be affected by many things including:

• Overeating
• Pressure on the stomach from pregnancy or obesity
• Highly-acidic, high-fat or oily foods
• Caffeine — often referred to as coffee heartburn
• Alcohol and tobacco
• Aspirin
• Stress and lack of sleep
• Abnormal muscle function in the stomach
• Asthma, diabetes and hiatal hernia

Understanding heartburn causes can help doctors determine the correct heartburn treatment for your condition.

Signs and Symptoms
Painful heartburn symptoms can occur when acid leaks from the stomach into the esophagus. Many sufferers say heartburn feels like a burning pain the chest underneath the chest bone. The pain can increase when bending over, laying flat or eating food—especially high fat, oily or acidic foods. Patients also report the pain being more acute at night.

When patients experience severe heartburn symptoms, the pain travels from the chest to the throat. As one of the gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD symptoms, frequent heartburn pain can indicate a serious condition that may be accompanied by nausea, chronic coughing, dental erosion, burping or belching and difficulty swallowing.

Many patients report heart attack-like symptoms because the signs of cardiac issues can mimic heartburn symptoms.

If believe you are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, please seek medical attention immediately.

Heartburn During Pregnancy
Many pregnant women will experience heartburn due to the increased pressure on their abdomen. Also, the change in hormones can trigger acid reflux. Most women report heartburn peaks around the third trimester. Pregnant women can treat and prevent heartburn by changing their diet and lifestyle habits.

For those experiencing occasional or severe heartburn symptoms, talk to your physician so they can help diagnose your pain and develop a treatment plan to alleviate the symptoms.

Stages of Heartburn
Heartburn symptoms vary depending on the seriousness of the condition. It’s important to know the differences between occasional heartburn and severe heartburn symptoms that can indicate a serious medical condition.

In the first stage, heartburn symptoms are mildly uncomfortable. It occurs infrequently — no more than once a week. Over-the-counter antacids or a change in diet can help relieve heartburn pain.

The second stage of heartburn is characterized by more severe heartburn symptoms. Burning beneath the breastbone is more acute and can become more frequent - between two or more times per week. In this stage, symptoms should subside with a strict diet and over-the-counter antacids, but sufferers may want to consult your physician or a specialist if heartburn symptoms becomes more frequent.

In the third stage, patients experience the most severe heartburn symptoms. It can be categorized as acid reflux attacks, triggering a burn sensation in your chest and throat as well as a sour taste in the mouth. This pain can be as frequent as every day. For heartburn symptoms of this magnitude, patients should seek medical help immediately. You could have a severe condition, called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), causing damage, ulcers or even cancerous changes in your esophagus.

Screening Tests for Heartburn
With varying stages of heartburn pain, physicians must diagnose the severity of a patient’s heartburn symptoms in order to determine the best treatment. More importantly, they must also determine the underlying condition causing heartburn in order to prevent damage.

For most patients with heartburn pain, doctors can diagnose the severity of the heartburn symptoms by listening to the degree of pain, the location of pain and the frequency. Heartburn may be caused by acid reflux, GERD or a more serious condition. For patients with severe heartburn symptoms, these tests may be used to determine the underlying condition causing the pain.

• EGD (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy) — a test for doctors to see damage in the esophagus, stomach or small intestine using a small camera.
• Esophageal pH monitoring — a test of the amount of time acid stays in the esophagus
• X-rays
• Esophageal manometry — a measure of the pressure of muscle contractions

For patients experiencing frequent, severe heartburn symptoms, physicians can help diagnose your pain and help you find relief.

Heartburn Facts
For heartburn sufferers, it’s important to understand the cause of heartburn pain in order to find relief from the pain. Lifestyle changes and dietary changes can help, but understanding the underlying cause can help to establish a treatment plan that works.

• Almost everyone will experience heartburn at some point in their lives.
• More than 40% of Americans suffer from heartburn pain at least one time each month.
• Almost 95% of people with heartburn link their symptoms to a particular food.
• Only 20% of heartburn happens during the day — the majority of people report feeling symptoms at night.
• More than 50% of pregnant women report heartburn — most in the third trimester.
• Infants can experience acid reflux, but they usually grow out of it.

These statistics prove heartburn is a widespread symptom. Lake Norman Regional Medical Center can diagnose heartburn symptoms to help patients find its underlying cause and prevent damage.

Conditions Related to Heartburn
The majority of patients, almost 90%, report experiencing nighttime heartburn symptoms. The pain can get so uncomfortable many people say it keeps them up at night. This specific timing for heartburn can indicate a more severe condition such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), It can be triggered by eating too soon before sleeping, drinking carbonated drinks and common prescription sleeping pills.

With minimal screening and tests, your physician can diagnose and treat nighttime heartburn. Treatments include a change in lifestyle habits, diet and even sleeping medication.

Heartburn is related to many conditions since heartburn is a symptom of an underlying condition, not a disease itself. Acid leaking from the stomach can damage the lining of the esophagus. This change can make it difficult to swallow or even become cancerous. Other symptoms of underlying problems that can coincide with heartburn include, dental problems, chronic cough and asthma.

For patients experiencing frequent or nighttime heartburn symptoms, physician specialists can help diagnose and treat your condition.

Treatment for Heartburn
For moderate and infrequent heartburn, lifestyle changes and dietary restrictions are the best heartburn treatments for patients. Avoiding certain foods that trigger acid reflux, and changing the timing and speed in which food is ingested can help treat heartburn.

For more serious symptoms, doctors can diagnose and designate a heartburn remedy suited for the individual condition. These treatments include antacids and sometimes over-the-counter medication to neutralize stomach acid.

The Heartburn Diet
More than 95% of patients know the food that triggers heartburn. An effective heartburn diet eliminates these foods and includes high-fiber, low-fat options instead.

These are a few of the best foods for the the heartburn diet:

• Apples and bananas
• Baked potatoes, broccoli, carrots and green beans
• Extra-lean ground beef and skinless chicken breast
• Egg whites
• Fish
• Low-fat dairy
• Whole-grain bread and oatmeal
• Pretzels and brown rice

Lake Norman Regional Medical Center encourages patients not to eat less than two hours before bedtime and to avoid carbonated beverages, alcohol and smoking.

Other Treatments
Other heartburn treatments include lifestyle changes to reduce pain. A doctor can help recommend lifestyle changes that will reduce heartburn, including:

• Sleeping on the left side with the upper body elevated
• Losing weight and wearing loose-fitting clothes
• Staying upright after eating, and waiting before exercising
• Chewing gum

Preventing Heartburn
The best heartburn cures are the same treatments to prevent heartburn. Simple dietary and lifestyle changes can help reduce the risk of heartburn and acid reflux.

Physician specialists encourage patients to stick to a heartburn diet by avoiding foods that can trigger pain. Eliminate these foods from your diet to help prevent heartburn:

• Oily, fatty foods
• Fried foods
• Caffeine
• Carbonated beverages and alcohol
• Acidic fruits
• Fatty meats
• Chocolate

Other heartburn remedies and prevention techniques include lifestyle habits that can aid in reducing acid reflux:

• Avoid taking medications like aspirin. (Before changing your aspirin routine, speak with your doctor.)
• Drink plenty of water when taking medications of any type.
• Quit smoking. Avoid drinking alcohol.
• Lightly exercise five times each week to maintain a healthy weight, but avoid exercising directly after a meal.
• Sleep on your left side.

Speak with a Lake Norman Regional Medical Center specialist today for a personalized prevention plan.