It is a chain of organs that convert food into essential nutrients that are absorbed into the body and removes unused materials.
The digestive system begins in the mouth, and includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and rectum, and ends at the anus.
The digestion process begins with the mouth and ends after eating food, breaking it down, and digesting it in the stomach to the anus to get rid of leftovers after the stomach absorbs nutrients and minerals from it.
It should be noted that the liver creates glycogen from sugars and carbohydrates to give the body energy and converts nutritional proteins into new proteins that the blood system needs. The liver also breaks unwanted chemicals, such as alcohol, which removes toxins and passes out of the body as waste.
When a person finishes eating a heavy meal, and as soon as he begins to relax or fall asleep, pain in the chest area begins to resemble the feeling that the chest is like a fire, and this is known as heartburn.
Heartburn is a common phenomenon, often transient and not a special concern, as many people suffer from heartburn, a burning sensation along the food channel (Esophagus).
Heartburn, which appears in close or even daily intervals, is a pre-alert sign of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), a disease in which stomach acids, and sometimes gallbladder juices, are returned to the esophagus.
Most people can cope and feel the discomfort caused by heartburn by introducing lifestyle changes and by taking medications that are marketed without a prescription. However, if heartburn is very severe, then most of these medicines offer only temporary or partial relief from the symptoms associated with them.
Heartburn symptoms
The initial symptom of heartburn is a feeling of burning and pain in the chest area, just below the sternum.
This pain may increase and intensify when leaning forward, lying on the back, or when eating. Heartburn may appear very often and intensify at night.
Causes and risk factors for heartburn
Upon swallowing, the annular valve located at the bottom of the esophagus - a muscle ring around the lower esophagus - opens up for food and drink to pass through it into the stomach, and after that, it closes.
However, if the valve opens automatically, or if the muscle is weak, stomach acids may move upward (backward), into the esophagus, resulting in heartburn. Acid leakage is raised to the top when lying down or leaning forward.
The heartburn that appears frequently, and often close, is a precursor of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), in general, although other medical conditions, such as hernia, may cause the heartburn, too.
When a hernia of this type occurs, also called "hiatus hernia" (or: hiatus hernia), part of the stomach rushes to the cavity below the chest. If the hernia is too large, it may worsen the symptoms of heartburn, by weakening the valve in the lower esophagus.
Risk factors for heartburn
There are several factors that may increase the severity of heartburn, including:
- Some specific types of foods, such as: foods rich in fat, spicy foods, chocolate, caffeine, onions, tomato sauce (ketchup), soft drinks, mint
- Alcoholic drinks
- Fatty meals
- Sleep immediately after eating
- Take certain medications (such as sedatives, antidepressants, and calcium blockers to treat high blood pressure)
- Smoking
Some conditions that may cause gastrointestinal disorders can increase the risk of heartburn, such as:
· Extra weight: The extra weight causes additional pressure on the stomach and diaphragm (Diaphragm), which is the large muscle that separates the chest cavity and the abdominal cavity - which leads to opening the valve in the lower esophagus, opening the way for stomach acids to return to the inside of the esophagus. Eating fatty or high-fat meals may cause a similar phenomenon
- Hiatal hernia: If the penetration of part of the stomach to the chest area is relatively large, it may cause additional weakening of the valve muscle in the lower esophagus, which increases heartburn more and more.
- Pregnancy: Pregnancy creates additional pressure on the stomach and increases the production of the hormone progesterone. This hormone relaxes most of the body's muscles, including the esophagus of the lower esophagus
- Asthma: Doctors have not yet determined whether there is a direct relationship between asthma and heartburn. However, coughing with asthma, as well as difficulty breathing, may cause pressure imbalance in the chest and abdomen. In addition to some medications used to treat asthma, which expand the respiratory tract.
- Diabetes: Gastroparesis is a complication caused by diabetes, which is a defect in which the stomach needs a longer period of time to complete the emptying. And if the contents of the stomach remain for longer than necessary, these contents begin to rise into the esophagus and cause heartburn
- Trapped in the stomach outlet: it is a partial blockage that results from a scar, peptic ulcer, or a carcinoma in the valve region between the stomach and duodenum. This valve controls the transfer of food from the stomach to the small intestine. Any blockage in this area may adversely affect the performance of the natural valve, and may hinder the transport of food at the desired speed, which leads to the accumulation of stomach acids in it and the flow upward, towards the esophagus.
- Delayed gastric emptying: In addition to diabetes and peptic ulcers, muscle dysfunction or nerve dysfunction may also hinder gastric emptying, which leads to the return of stomach acids to the esophagus. Some types of opioids, such as antidepressants or antihistamines, may lead to similar results.
- Connective tissues: some diseases, such as scleroderma, that cause muscle tissue to condense and swell, may also cause the muscles of the digestive system to contract, without relaxing (stretching) properly, which leads to the decline of stomach acids towards esophagus.
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