What is hidden behind heartburn?

News 04/20/2020

Everyone has experienced this unpleasant state at least once in their life. Sometimes heartburn is a relatively harmless consequence of eating inappropriate food, but frequent heartburn not only greatly reduces the quality of life, but also turns out to be a symptom of serious diseases that require urgent treatment. 
 
Heartburn is a painful burning sensation behind the sternum or in the abdomen, which can spread up to the pharynx. At this time, the body throws the gastric contents into the esophagus. 

Heartburn can increase with bending, physical exertion, after a plentiful meal and lying down, accompanied by belching with a sour or bitter taste. Often with GERD, there are also atypical sensations: chest pain (usually after eating, which increases with bending), heaviness in the abdomen after eating, increased salivation during sleep, bad breath, hoarseness. 

 

The cause of heartburn is a violation of the work of the muscle between the esophagus and the stomach. Heartburn is a typical symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease, it develops in every third patient with GERD.  

If the patient does not consult specialists in a timely manner and there is no adequate treatment, ulcerative erosive lesions of the mucosa often occur, their subsequent healing and remaining scars can lead to strictures – narrowing of the esophageal lumen, which can lead to the inability to swallow food.

Prolonged inflammation of the esophageal wall can lead to the formation of ulcers, which can cause bleeding. Long-term gastroesophageal reflux and chronic esophagitis lead to the transformation of the esophageal mucosa – in 1.5-4% of cases, a typical intestinal epithelium appears. This rebirth is called Barrett's esophagus. This is a precancerous condition that develops into a malignant epithelial tumor in 2-5% of patients.

Diagnostics.

The main diagnostic method for confirming GERD is esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGDS). It is performed after consultation with a gastroenterologist. EGDS allows you to identify damage to the esophagus, which occur as a result of regular irritation of the walls of the stomach contents. Also, during endoscopic examination, the material can be taken for histological examination (biopsy). Only morphological data can confirm the presence of Barrett's esophagus or dysplastic changes.

In the department of operative Endoscopy of the Loginov Moscow State Medical Center, diagnostics and, if indicated, endoscopic treatment of GERD complications are performed. 

For more information, please contact our specialists!

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