Heartburn Topics

• causes of chronic cough
• proton pump inhibitors
• proton pumps
• cardiac sphincter
• stomach cells
• gastroesophageal reflux disease
• caffeinated beverages
• burning sensation
• ppis
• acid production
• cardia
• fatty foods
• heart problems
• acid reflux
• where the heart is
• heartburn medication
• proteins
• asthma
• 30 minutes
• drinks

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Heartburn, Heartburn

Heartburn is a major symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease; acid reflux is also identified as one of the causes of chronic cough, and may even mimic asthma. Despite its name, heartburn actually has nothing to do with the heart; it is so called because of a burning sensation near to where the heart is located although some heart problems may give rise to a similar burning sensation. Compounding the confusion is the fact that hydrochloric acid from the stomach comes back up the esophagus because of a problem with the cardiac sphincter, a valve which misleadingly contains the word "cardiac," referring to the cardia as part of the stomach and not, as might be thought, to the heart.

Therefore, H2s can often take 30 minutes or longer before they start working, and therefore are often taken to prevent heartburn rather than for fast relief of symptoms.

Proton-pump inhibitors are systemic and directly block acid production in the stomach cells. In order to prevent heartburn the medication disfigures and disables the proteins (proton pumps) that control the pH of the stomach, allowing the body to digest them. Proton-pump inhibitors are not fast-acting, but provide long-lasting relief. PPIs are intended to be short-term medications only.

Sufferers should choose the kinds of foods and drinks which have little risk of causing acid reflux, while some kinds of foods or drinks should be avoided as they are major heartburn triggers. Specifically, it has been shown that fatty foods and caffeinated beverages can cause the symptoms of heartburn.

Source: Wikipedia > Heartburn