Functional heartburn

Functional heartburn is a burning sensation or pain behind the sternum that is resistant to therapy with antisecretory drugs in the absence of changes in the esophageal mucosa (erosion or ulcers, strictures, neoplasms).

Risk factors:

• Female gender.
• Age up to 45 years.
• Chronic stress. 

Causes of occurrence:

• Hypersensitivity of esophageal receptors to hydrochloric acid and other factors.
• Violation of the integrity and increased permeability of the esophageal mucosa.
• Violation of the perception and processing of incoming signals in the central nervous system with the participation of reflux. 

The diagnosis is established after the exclusion of all diseases of the esophagus, manifested by heartburn, primarily gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Diagnostic methods:

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy allows you to identify pathological changes in the esophageal mucosa.

The" gold " standard of diagnosis is the daily pH-impedance monitoring, since the method allows not only to identify the total number of refluxes and characterize them by composition and pH (acid, alkaline, mixed), but also to analyze the relationship of heartburn with reflux.

If it is not possible to conduct daily pH-impedance monitoring, daily pH monitoring is used. 

Examination and selection of therapy for functional diseases of the esophagus are carried out by specialists of the Department of Pathology of the upper digestive tract, the laboratory of functional diagnostics of diseases of the esophagus and stomach Moscow Clinical Scientific and Practical Center named after A. S. Loginov.

Do not delay your visit to the specialists of our Center. This will help to diagnose the disease in a timely manner and choose the right treatment tactics. Doctors of the Department of Pathology of the upper digestive tract and the laboratory of functional diagnostics of diseases of the esophagus and stomach of the State Medical Institution of the Moscow State Medical Center named after A. S. Loginov DZM are always ready to help you.