Heartburn
Heartburn: Introduction
The term "heartburn" refers to the pain in the esophagus or chest
that occurs when stomach acid is refluxed up into the throat (see reflux).
The medical term for heartburn is "reflux esophagitis".
Occasional heartburn is common and not necessarily serious.
Chronic heartburn is indicative of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).
In severe cases, the refluxed acid goes all the way up into the mouth and is tasted, and can cause Barrett's esophagitis.
See also discussions of reflux, indigestion, and GERD.
Heartburn is a common misdiagnosis of heart attack, and other causes of chest pain
should also be considered (e.g. heart attack, angina, GERD, gastric reflux,
other causes of chest pain).
Seek urgent medical attention for chest pain because
of the possibility of serious causes of chest pain other than heartburn. ...more »
Symptoms of Heartburn
See full list of 7
symptoms of Heartburn
Treatments for Heartburn
- Antacids
- Coping measures
- Smaller more frequent meals
- Eat slowing
- Sleep with head raised - e.g. elevated your bed at one end or use more pillows
- more treatments...»
See full list of 18
treatments for Heartburn
Wrongly Diagnosed with Heartburn?
Videos for Heartburn
Heartburn has millions of Americans running to the shelves of their supermarkets and drugstores to end their discomfort. Most of the time,...
Choosing heartburn medicines is easier if you know how they work against acid. In this program, experts explain the difference among common...
Heartburn can be a nuisance at any time of day, but for many people the greatest frustration happens at night. Not only can heartburn get in the way...
Most of us know what heartburn is like -- in fact, 60 million Americans feel that sharp, burning sensation in their chest at least once a month. But...
See full list of 16 related videos
Heartburn: Related Patient Stories
News Archives for Heartburn
Medical news articles related to Heartburn include:
Source: HealthDay News
Curable Types of Heartburn
Possibly curable types of Heartburn include:
- Pregnancy associated heartburn
- Heartburn associated with obesity
- Mediacion ( nitrates, beta blockers) associated heartburn
- Cholelithiasis associated with heartburn
- Irritable bowel syndrome associated with heartburn
- more types...»
Rare Types of Heartburn:
Rare types of Heartburn include:
- Pregnancy associated heartburn
- Heartburn associated with obesity
- Mediacion ( nitrates, beta blockers) associated heartburn
- Cholelithiasis associated with heartburn
- Irritable bowel syndrome associated with heartburn
- more types...»
Heartburn: Complications
Review possible medical complications related to Heartburn:
Causes of Heartburn
See full list of 65
causes of Heartburn
More information about causes of Heartburn:
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical testing related to Heartburn:
- High Blood Pressure: Home Testing
- Heart Health: Home Testing:
- Food Allergies & Intolerances: Home Testing:
- Digestive-Related Home Testing:
- more tests...»
Disease Topics Related To Heartburn
Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Heartburn:
Medical Textbooks Online about Heartburn
Medical Books Excerpts
- HEARTBURN
- "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs" (2003)
- [ read ]
- HEARTBURN
- "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Dyspepsia
- "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Dyspepsia
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Dyspepsia
- "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Dyspepsia
- "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms" (2007)
- [ read ]
- HEARTBURN
- "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care" (2007)
- [ read ]
Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Heartburn: Self Assessment Tools
Heartburn: Medical Mistakes
Heartburn: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Heartburn:
Heartburn: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:
Misdiagnosis and Heartburn
Heart attacks can be undiagnosed: Although the most severe symptoms of heart attack are hard to miss,
there are varying degrees of severity.
It is altogether too common for...read more »
Heart attacks can be overdiagnosed: Although many people die from heart attacks, there are also
many cases where people fear that they have a heart attack, but...read more »
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms
of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed.
The best known, irritable bowel syndrome...read more »
Rare heart condition often undiagnosed: The rare heart condition called long QT syndrome can lead to episodes of palpitations
and rapid heartbeat.
In rare cases, this undiagnosed...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea
is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal imbalance.
The digestive system contains a variety of "good" bacteria...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely
to cause some level of diarrhea in patients.
The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria...read more »
Heart attack can be over-diagnosed: Although heart attack is often undiagnosed,
leading to fatality, it can also be over-diagnosed.
People become concerned that a...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down
with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food poisoning)....read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the
more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed
(it can, of course, also fail to be diagnosed with fatal...read more »
Blood pressure cuffs misdiagnose hypertension in children: One known misdiagnosis issue
with hyperension, arises in relation to the simple equipment used to test blood pressure.
The "cuff" around the arm to measure blood pressure can...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive
conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a variety of...read more »
Hypertension misdiagnosis common in children: Hypertension is often
misdiagnosed in adults (see misdiagnosis of hypertension), but its misdiagnosis is even more likely in children.
Some of the symptoms of...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent
difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases.
Some of the better known possibilities are peptic ulcer, colon cancer, irritable bowel...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Heartburn
Heartburn: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research related physicians and medical specialists:
- Cholesterol Specialists:
- Cardiac (Heart) Specialists:
- Digestive Health Specialists (Gastroenterology):
- more specialists...»
Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:
Hospitals & Clinics: Heartburn
Research quality ratings and patient safety measures
for medical facilities in specialties related to Heartburn:
Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »
Choosing the Best Hospital:
More general information, not necessarily in relation to Heartburn,
on hospital performance and surgical care quality:
Heartburn: Rare Types
Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:
Latest Treatments for Heartburn
See full list of 14
latest treatments for Heartburn
Heartburn: Animations
Patient Surveys for Heartburn
Reseach about Heartburn
Visit our research pages for current research about Heartburn treatments.
Clinical Trials for Heartburn
The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally
and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Heartburn include:
See full list of 24
Clinical Trials for Heartburn
Prevention of Heartburn
Prevention information for Heartburn has been compiled from various data sources
and may be inaccurate or incomplete.
None of these methods guarantee prevention of Heartburn.
Read more about prevention of Heartburn
Statistics for Heartburn
Heartburn: Broader Related Topics
Types of Heartburn
Heartburn Message Boards
Related forums and medical stories:
User Interactive Forums
Read about other experiences, ask a question about Heartburn, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:
Article Excerpts about Heartburn
Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): NIDDK (Excerpt)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, occurs when the lower
esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly, and stomach contents
splash back, or reflux, into the esophagus. The LES is a ring of muscle at
the bottom of the esophagus that acts like a camera shutter between the
esophagus and stomach. The esophagus carries food from the mouth to the
stomach.
When refluxed stomach acid touches the lining of the esophagus, it
causes a burning sensation in the chest or throat called heartburn. The
fluid may even be tasted in the back of the mouth, and this is called acid
indigestion. Occasional heartburn is common but does not necessarily mean
one has GERD. Heartburn that occurs more than twice a week may be
considered GERD, which can eventually lead to more serious health
problems.
(Source: excerpt from Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): NIDDK)
Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): NIDDK (Excerpt)
Heartburn, also called acid indigestion, is the most common symptom
of GERD. Anyone experiencing heartburn twice a week or more may have
GERD.
(Source: excerpt from Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): NIDDK)
Definitions of Heartburn:
A painful burning sensation in the chest caused by gastroesophageal reflux (backflow from the stomach irritating the esophagus); symptomatic of an ulcer or a diaphragmatic hernia or other disorder
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
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