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Overview for Dietary and Lifestyle or Treatment info
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'Heartburn' does not mean
that you have Heart Disease. The discomfort felt, is in and around the
area where the heart is situated, but does not arise from the heart
itself. Unfortunately, a symptom named Angina does signify that something
has gone wrong with the heart and the description of the pain produced
does, in some respects, mimic heartburn.
It is therefore of supreme importance that we must clearly differentiate
between these two entities, for if Angina is not correctly diagnosed
the consequence could be very serious indeed. How to make this differentiation
is to study the symptoms of both entities. The most usual symptom of
heartburn is a pain felt in the chest behind the breastbone, or sternum.
It can be felt rather lower or even in the back at the same level. The
pain is related to the ingestion of food, both in type of food and amount.
The actual pain is due to "reflux" which means that a flow of acid material
is released from the stomach, which has a protective lining into the
unprotected lining of the gullet (or oesophagus).
There are a number of circumstances which can initiate this reflux.
Smoking can cause it as can being pregnant and being overweight through
dietary habit. Change of body posture can cause it, bending alone, if
repetitive, perhaps in a particular occupation, can cause it. If action
can be taken to remedy these causes, the reflux will disappear. There
is another condition, however, which required action that is Hiatus
Hernia. (Hiatus means a gap which should not normally be present
and Hernia means an organ which passes into and partially through, such
a gap - hiatus hernia).
What that means in this particular situation is that part of the stomach
passes through the opening in the diaphragm which is designed only to
take the end part of the gullet. If it remains in this situation for
any length of time, an inflammatory situation may arise causing an Oesophagitis.
If this time is extended, a narrowing may occur causing a blockage of
the food coming down the gullet. The end point of this situation may
require operative intervention to regain a normal situation.
Operative treatment may have to be considered where the cause is due
to a Hiatus Hernia. The operation is called 'fundoplication' and is
designed to return the flow of food between the gullet and stomach to
normality.
Heartburn is a nuisance and can be painful, thereby interfering with
your enjoyment of life. Any pain such as that which has been described
must be investigated mainly to eliminate the possibility that it may
be of cardiac origin. Almost half of the population at some time or
other suffers from this, but if it continues, seek medical advice.
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