Heartburn | |
---|---|
Other names | Pyrosis, [1] cardialgia |
Specialty | Gastroenterology, family medicine, emergency medicine |
Symptoms | Burning, stabbing, or squeezing sensation in the chest, nausea, belching |
Causes | Gastroesophageal reflux disease |
Risk factors | Smoking, obesity |
Diagnostic method | Physical examination, medical history, antacid response, imaging, manometry |
Differential diagnosis | Chest pain, myocardial infarction, gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, esophageal spasms, esophageal strictures, duodenitis, cancer, Crohn's disease |
Prevention | Avoid foods that are high in fats, spicy, high in artificial flavors. Avoid reclining 3–4 hours after a meal, heavy NSAID use, heavy alcohol consumption. Decrease peppermint consumption. Chew foods thoroughly between bites, consume meals with plenty of liquid, and ensure adequate time to eat meals in a non-hurried fashion |
Treatment | Antacids, weight loss, surgery |
Medication | Antacids |
Heartburn, also known as pyrosis, cardialgia or acid indigestion, [2] is a burning sensation in the central chest or upper central abdomen. [3] [4] [5] Heartburn is usually due to regurgitation of gastric acid (gastric reflux) into the esophagus. It is the major symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). [6]
Other common descriptors for heartburn (besides burning) are belching, nausea, squeezing, stabbing, or a sensation of pressure on the chest. The pain often rises in the chest (directly behind the breastbone) and may radiate to the neck, throat, or angle of the arm. Because the chest houses other important organs besides the esophagus (including the heart and lungs), not all symptoms related to heartburn are esophageal in nature. [7]
The cause will vary depending on one's family and medical history, genetics, if a person is pregnant or lactating, and age. As a result, the diagnosis will vary depending on the suspected organ and the inciting disease process. Work-up will vary depending on the clinical suspicion of the provider seeing the patient, but generally includes endoscopy and a trial of antacids to assess for relief.[ citation needed ]
Treatment for heartburn may include medications and dietary changes. [3] Medication include antacids. Dietary changes may require avoiding foods that are high in fats, spicy, high in artificial flavors, heavily reducing NSAID use, avoiding heavy alcohol consumption, and decreasing peppermint consumption. [3] Lifestyle changes may help such as reducing weight.
The term indigestion includes heartburn along with a number of other symptoms. [8] Indigestion is sometimes defined as a combination of epigastric pain and heartburn. [9] Heartburn is commonly used interchangeably with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) rather than just to describe a symptom of burning in one's chest. [10]
Heartburn-like symptoms and/or lower chest or upper abdomen may be indicative of much more sinister and/or deadly disease. [11] Of greatest concern is to confuse heartburn (generally related to the esophagus) with a heart attack as these organs share a common nerve supply. [12] Numerous abdominal and thoracic organs are present in that region of the body. Many different organ systems might explain the discomfort called heartburn. [7]
The most common symptom for a heart attack is chest pain. [13] However, as many as 30% of people who receive cardiac catheterization for chest pain have findings that do not account for their chest discomfort. These are often defined as having "atypical chest pain" or chest pain of undetermined origin. [14] Women experiencing heart attacks may also deny classic signs and symptoms [15] and instead complain of GI symptoms. [13] [16] [17] One article estimates that ischemic heart disease may appear to be GERD in 0.6% of people. [12]
Heartburn is common during pregnancy having been reported in as many as 80% of pregnancies. [22] It is most often due to GERD and results from relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), changes in gastric motility, and/or increasing intra-abdominal pressure. [23] [22] The onset of symptoms can be during any trimester of pregnancy.
Functional heartburn is heartburn of unknown cause. [24] It is commonly associated with psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety. It is also seen with other functional gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and is the primary cause of lack of improvement post treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). [24] Despite this, PPIs are still the primary treatment with response rates in about 50% of people. [24] The diagnosis is one of elimination, based upon the Rome III criteria. It was found to be present in 22.3% of Canadians in one survey. [24]
Rome III Criteria | |
---|---|
1 | Burning retrosternal discomfort |
2 | Elimination of heart attack and GERD as the cause |
3 | No esophageal motility disorders [24] |
Heartburn can be caused by several conditions and a preliminary diagnosis of GERD is based on additional signs and symptoms. The chest pain caused by GERD has a distinct 'burning' sensation, occurs after eating or at night, and worsens when a person lies down or bends over. [25] It also is common in pregnant women, and may be triggered by consuming food in large quantities, or specific foods containing certain spices, high fat content, or high acid content. [25] [26] In young persons (typically <40 years) who present with heartburn symptoms consistent with GERD (onset after eating, when lying down, when pregnant), a physician may begin a course of PPIs to assess clinical improvement before additional testing is undergone. [27] Resolution or improvement of symptoms on this course may result in a diagnosis of GERD.[ citation needed ]
Other tests or symptoms suggesting acid reflux is causing heartburn include:
Relief of symptoms 5 to 10 minutes after the administration of viscous lidocaine and an antacid increases the suspicion that the pain is esophageal in origin. [29] This however does not rule out a potential cardiac cause [30] as 10% of cases of discomfort due to cardiac causes are improved with antacids. [31]
Esophageal pH monitoring: a probe can be placed via the nose into the esophagus to record the level of acidity in the lower esophagus. Because some degree of variation in acidity is normal, and small reflux events are relatively common, esophageal pH monitoring can be used to document reflux in real-time. [32] Patients are able to record symptom onset to correlate lower esophageal pH with time of symptom onset.
Manometry: in this test, a pressure sensor (manometer) is passed via the mouth into the esophagus and measures the pressure of the LES directly. [33]
Endoscopy: the esophageal mucosa can be visualized directly by passing a thin, lighted tube with a tiny camera known as an endoscope attached through the mouth to examine the oesophagus and stomach. In this way, evidence of esophageal inflammation can be detected, and biopsies taken if necessary. Since an endoscopy allows a doctor to visually inspect the upper digestive tract the procedure may help identify any additional damage to the tract that may not have been detected otherwise. [34]
Biopsy: a small sample of tissue from the oesophagus is removed. It is then studied to check for inflammation, cancer, or other problems. [33]
Treatment plans are tailored to the specific diagnosis and etiology of the heartburn. Management of heartburn can be sorted into various categories.
Symptoms of heartburn may not always be the result of an organic cause. Patients may respond better to therapies targeting anxiety, through medications aimed towards a psychiatric etiology, [24] osteopathic manipulation, and acupuncture.
In the case of GERD causing heartburn symptoms, surgery may be required if PPI is not effective. [39] Surgery is not undergone if functional heartburn is the leading diagnosis. [40]
About 42% of the United States population has had heartburn at some point. [41]
An antacid is a substance which neutralizes stomach acidity and is used to relieve heartburn, indigestion, or an upset stomach. Some antacids have been used in the treatment of constipation and diarrhea. Marketed antacids contain salts of aluminum, calcium, magnesium, or sodium. Some preparations contain a combination of two salts, such as magnesium carbonate and aluminum hydroxide.
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes referred to as the GI tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine as well as the accessory organs of digestion which include the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver.
Esophageal achalasia, often referred to simply as achalasia, is a failure of smooth muscle fibers to relax, which can cause the lower esophageal sphincter to remain closed. Without a modifier, "achalasia" usually refers to achalasia of the esophagus. Achalasia can happen at various points along the gastrointestinal tract; achalasia of the rectum, for instance, may occur in Hirschsprung's disease. The lower esophageal sphincter is a muscle between the esophagus and stomach that opens when food comes in. It closes to avoid stomach acids from coming back up. A fully understood cause to the disease is unknown, as are factors that increase the risk of its appearance. Suggestions of a genetically transmittable form of achalasia exist, but this is neither fully understood, nor agreed upon.
An esophageal motility disorder (EMD) is any medical disorder resulting from dysfunction of the coordinated movement of esophagus, which causes dysphagia.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a chronic upper gastrointestinal disease in which stomach content persistently and regularly flows up into the esophagus, resulting in symptoms and/or complications. Symptoms include dental corrosion, dysphagia, heartburn, odynophagia, regurgitation, non-cardiac chest pain, extraesophageal symptoms such as chronic cough, hoarseness, reflux-induced laryngitis, or asthma. In the long term, and when not treated, complications such as esophagitis, esophageal stricture, and Barrett's esophagus may arise.
Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which there is an abnormal (metaplastic) change in the mucosal cells lining the lower portion of the esophagus, from stratified squamous epithelium to simple columnar epithelium with interspersed goblet cells that are normally present only in the small intestine and large intestine. This change is considered to be a premalignant condition because of its potential to further transition to esophageal adenocarcinoma, an often-deadly cancer.
Esophagitis, also spelled oesophagitis, is a disease characterized by inflammation of the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube composed of a mucosal lining, and longitudinal and circular smooth muscle fibers. It connects the pharynx to the stomach; swallowed food and liquids normally pass through it.
A hiatal hernia or hiatus hernia is a type of hernia in which abdominal organs slip through the diaphragm into the middle compartment of the chest. This may result in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) with symptoms such as a taste of acid in the back of the mouth or heartburn. Other symptoms may include trouble swallowing and chest pains. Complications may include iron deficiency anemia, volvulus, or bowel obstruction.
Coffee ground vomitus refers to a particular appearance of vomit. Within organic heme molecules of red blood cells is the element iron, which oxidizes following exposure to gastric acid. This reaction causes the vomitus to look like ground coffee.
A Nissen fundoplication, or laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication when performed via laparoscopic surgery, is a surgical procedure to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatal hernia. In GERD, it is usually performed when medical therapy has failed; but, with a Type II (paraesophageal) hiatus hernia, it is the first-line procedure. The Nissen fundoplication is total (360°), but partial fundoplications known as Thal, Belsey, Dor, Lind, and Toupet fundoplications are alternative procedures with somewhat different indications and outcomes.
Achlorhydria and hypochlorhydria refer to states where the production of hydrochloric acid in gastric secretions of the stomach and other digestive organs is absent or low, respectively. It is associated with various other medical problems.
Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia or upset stomach, is a condition of impaired digestion. Symptoms may include upper abdominal fullness, heartburn, nausea, belching, or upper abdominal pain. People may also experience feeling full earlier than expected when eating. Indigestion is relatively common, affecting 20% of people at some point during their life, and is frequently caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastritis.
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergic inflammatory condition of the esophagus that involves eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. In healthy individuals, the esophagus is typically devoid of eosinophils. In EoE, eosinophils migrate to the esophagus in large numbers. When a trigger food is eaten, the eosinophils contribute to tissue damage and inflammation. Symptoms include swallowing difficulty, food impaction, vomiting, and heartburn.
Esophageal dysphagia is a form of dysphagia where the underlying cause arises from the body of the esophagus, lower esophageal sphincter, or cardia of the stomach, usually due to mechanical causes or motility problems.
Stretta is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that delivers radiofrequency energy in the form of electromagnetic waves through electrodes at the end of a catheter to the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and the gastric cardia – the region of the stomach just below the LES. The energy heats the tissue, ultimately causing it to swell and stiffen; the way this works was not understood as of 2015, but it was thought that perhaps the heat causes local inflammation, collagen deposition and muscular thickening of the LES and that it may disrupt the nerves there.
Esophageal spasm is a disorder of motility of the esophagus.
Nutcracker esophagus, jackhammer esophagus, or hypercontractile peristalsis, is a disorder of the movement of the esophagus characterized by contractions in the smooth muscle of the esophagus in a normal sequence but at an excessive amplitude or duration. Nutcracker esophagus is one of several motility disorders of the esophagus, including achalasia and diffuse esophageal spasm. It causes difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) with both solid and liquid foods, and can cause significant chest pain; it may also be asymptomatic. Nutcracker esophagus can affect people of any age but is more common in the sixth and seventh decades of life.
In gastroenterology, esophageal pH monitoring is the current gold standard for diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It provides direct physiologic measurement of acid in the esophagus and is the most objective method to document reflux disease, assess the severity of the disease and monitor the response of the disease to medical or surgical treatment. It can also be used in diagnosing laryngopharyngeal reflux.
Transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF) is an endoscope treatment designed to relieve symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The TIF procedure, similar to Nissen fundoplication, alleviates GERD symptoms by wrapping a portion of the stomach around the esophagus.
Acid peptic diseases, such as peptic ulcers, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, are caused by distinct but overlapping pathogenic mechanisms involving acid effects on mucosal defense. Acid reflux damages the esophageal mucosa and may also cause laryngeal tissue injury, leading to the development of pulmonary symptoms.