At least once in a lifetime each person has heartburn - the reasons for it can be very diverse. This unpleasant sensation can last from a few seconds to an hour stretching like an eternity. Heartburn itself is not a disease. This is just a symptom of the pathological process taking place in the body.
How does heartburn occur?
To understand this issue, you need to study the principle of the digestive system. From the oral cavity food first moves to the esophagus, and then - into the stomach. On the border of these two organs is the sphincter. It tightly closes, preventing the return of food to the esophagus. If the sphincter does not function properly, problems begin. Food with gastric juice returns to the esophagus.
However, in this body there is no "protection" from acidic enzymes. As a result, the esophagus becomes irritated and inflames. Faced with such an unpleasant situation, the patient seeks more to find out what heartburn is and what consequences there may be if you leave it to chance. "Burning" in the chest, accompanied by pain and eructation, is provoked by certain factors.
Heartburn - the causes of
Often an uncomfortable feeling is provoked by an incorrect way of life. One of the reasons why there is heartburn is that a person in large quantities consumes fatty foods. It also produces an increased release of hydrochloric acid. With regular consumption of fatty foods, the load on the digestive system increases. The body gets used to it, resulting in increased acidity becomes the norm.
Causes of Heartburn in Women
In the fair sex, this discomforting feeling is much less common than in men. In this case, women have heartburn causes more often:
- overweight;
- the habit of eating at night;
- close clothing;
- smoking;
- alcohol abuse.
In addition, this discomforting sensation can occur during the period of gestation. According to statistics, 75% of pregnant women know him firsthand. It can accompany all 9 months. For this reason, it is important for future mothers to understand in advance why heartburn occurs in pregnant women. The main reason for such an unpleasant sensation is inextricably linked with the hormonal changes that occur in the body of a woman when carrying a baby. In some cases, this problem does not rest either day or night, depriving the pregnant woman of the opportunity to fully rest.
Causes of Heartburn in Men
"Fire" in the esophagus can be provoked by various factors. More often that's why heartburn occurs in men:
- the presence of fatty and spicy food in the diet;
- binge eating;
- excessive stress;
- the habit of taking a horizontal position immediately after eating;
- tight belt;
- addictions;
- Strong physical activity.
Heartburn after a meal causes
Often the ingestion of food provokes the appearance of uncomfortable sensations. Most heartburn occurs 1-2 hours after eating. It can last from a few minutes to an hour. Heartburn after each meal reasons can have these:
- Sharp dishes - burning spices, by interacting with gastric juice, lead to burn mucous. As a result, there is a feeling that everything is burning inside.
- Fat food - for its processing in the body more produced hydrochloric acid and bile.
- Products with high acidity - these include tomatoes, citrus fruits, all kinds of pickles. After such food enters the stomach, the acidity of the gastric juice increases. As a result, heartburn occurs. It can last several hours (until the hydrochloric acid level returns to normal).
- Chocolate, strong coffee - because of caffeine, the production of gastric juice increases.
- Carbonated drinks - they are saturated with bubbles of carbon dioxide, which provokes bloating.
- Alcohol - alcohol increases the acidity of gastric juice. In addition, under his influence, the tone of the sphincter weakens.
However, this unpleasant sensation arises not only from food products. Heartburn causes can have associated with gastrointestinal diseases. More often it is a symptom of the following ailments:
- inflammation of the gallbladder;
- ulcers;
- obesity;
- duodenitis ;
- chronic gastritis ;
- reflux disease.
Heartburn at night - causes
An uncomfortable sensation can also occur during sleep. Heavy heartburn causes more often:
- weakened muscles, which are responsible for moving food through the esophagus;
- a lot of coffee is drunk during the day;
- strong craving for sweets;
- excessive stress;
- alcohol abuse;
- pregnancy;
- smoking immediately after dinner;
- consuming a lot of carbonated drinks throughout the day.
Heartburn and eructation - causes
Unpleasant sensations can be provoked by various factors. More often heartburn and belching causes the following:
- Aerophagia is a condition in which a patient swallows air while eating. In addition, the causes of permanent heartburn after eating are inextricably linked to consumed food. Provoke this state can gas-producing products, antacids and soda.
- Increased acidity of gastric juice - it can be caused by motor dysfunction. This state indicates an inflammatory process in the digestive system.
- Helicobacter - it affects the stomach, resulting in ulcers on the mucous membrane. In addition, this microorganism provokes the production of ammonia and carbon dioxide, hence the eructation.
- Pathogenic microflora in the small intestine - accompanied by severe avitaminosis. More often this condition is observed with anorexia nervosa, intestinal obstruction, scleroderma, thyroid diseases.
- Pregnancy - in the first trimester, the discomfort is provoked by toxicosis. During this period, the temperature may even rise. In the second trimester heartburn during pregnancy causes is inextricably linked to the growing uterus and hormonal changes in the body. At the final stage of bearing the baby, the woman produces progesterone - an element responsible for relaxing the muscles, including the sphincter.
- Diaphragmatic hernia - due to compression of the stomach there are various pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
Heartburn and nausea - causes
This discomfortable condition can occur in completely healthy people, and in those who have dysfunction of the digestive system. In the first case, this is why heartburn occurs:
- Because of fast eating of food, it becomes in the stomach "lumpy". To digest it requires more gastric juice. In addition, this severity leads to dizziness and nausea.
- Heavy physical work immediately after eating. Increases intra-abdominal pressure, there is a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen.
- The habit of overeating leads to the fact that the stomach is stretched. To digest a large amount of food the body produces more acid. As a result, heartburn, nausea and flatulence occur.
- Reception of Aspirin, Ibuprofen and other medications. These drugs increase the production of acid. Partly it is thrown into the esophagus.
Heartburn, bitterness in the mouth - causes
These unpleasant symptoms occur in such diseases:
- colitis - an inflammatory process that occurs in the large intestine;
- duodenitis - duodenal pathology;
- enteritis - inflammation of the small intestine;
- duodenal ulcer.
In addition, frequent heartburn causes can have such:
- hepatitis;
- cirrhosis;
- cholecystitis;
- giardiasis;
- echinococcosis .
If you are concerned about a persistent heartburn, the reasons for this are often:
- oncological diseases of the digestive tract;
- cholelithiasis ;
- pathology of the endocrine system;
- dysgeusia.
Heartburn - what to do?
To get rid of this unpleasant symptom, you need to determine the cause that provokes its occurrence. It is impossible to do this on your own. It is more reasonable to contact a qualified specialist and take the prescribed examination. The doctor knows what to do with heartburn. He will prescribe effective therapy. Medicamentous treatment directly depends on how long ago heartburn arose, what causes it provoked. More often prescribed such medicines:
- Ranitidine , famotidine, omeprazole and other drugs that suppress the acid-forming function;
- Ursofalka, Misoprostol and other gastroprotectors;
- Domperidone, Metoclopramide and other prokinetics;
- Rennie, Maalox, Fosfalugel - drugs that neutralize the acidity of gastric juice.