Heartburn – Causes and Symptoms

Heart BurnDo you ever feel like you have a three-alarm fire burn­ing in your chest? Fortunately, the burn usually doesn't have anything to do with your heart. The burning sensa­tion comes from your esophagus, the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach.Your stomach secretes a strong acid that is necessary for digestion. A special lining protects your stomach from the effects of this acid, but it doesn't protect your esoph­agus.

When stomach acid backs up into your esophagus, it becomes very irritated and burns. Although heartburn is common and rarely life-threat­ening, it can occasionally warn of a more serious disor­der.

It's time to see your doctor if you have heartburn and:

  1. Difficulty swallowing
  2. Unexplained weight loss
  3. Hiccups
  4. Cough
  5. Hoarseness
  6. Regurgitation (especially at night)

This combination of symptoms could indicate that you have a tumor of the esophagus. See your doc­tor immediately.

  1. Skin that becomes tight, thickened, and shiny (especially on your fingers and face)
  2. Raynaud's phenomenon (hands and feet become red, white, and blue when exposed to cold)
  3. Difficulty swallowing
  4. Joint pain and stiffness

These are some of the symptoms of scleroderma, a rare but potentially fatal disease in which your immune system attacks its own tissues. In mild cases, it affects only your skin, but severe cases involve other organs and tissues, including your heart, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and joints. In a few rare cases, scleroderma can rapidly lead to death from heart, respiratory, or kidney failure.

  1. Loss of appetite
  2. Nausea, vomiting
  3. Stomach pain, tenderness, or cramping, often worsened by eating

If you have these symptoms, you may have gastri­tis, an inflammation of the lining of your stomach. If symptoms are caused by a virus or a food you've eaten, they will normally disappear within two to three days. If they don't, see your doctor.

Angina-like chest pain
Difficulty swallowing
Acid-tasting stomach contents sometimes rise into mouth when belching
Chronic cough

If you have these symptoms, especially if they get worse at night, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this condition, stomach acid backs up into your esophagus and irritates the lining, causing an uncomfortable burning sen­sation. If you suffer from GERD for a long period of time, your esophagus can suffer severe damage, and it can increase your risk of cancer. Don't just ignore these symptoms. See your doctor.