Symptoms of heartburn

Leading signs (symptom) of reflux disease are heartburn (acid burping), a feeling of fullness, air burping and possibly also stool irregularities. The acidic or bitter taste in the throat usually occurs about 30-60 minutes after the meal. Patients with heartburn typically complain of an increase in symptoms after sumptuous and/or sweet meals, lying flat or lifting heavy loads.

Pronounced reflux can lead to chest pain, irritation of the throat, chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma. Nausea often occurs together with heartburn as a symptom of inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis). It often occurs after the phase of piercing hunger and is only alleviated by taking alkaline gels or alkaline food.

Seldom does nausea occur even without heartburn in gastritis. Heartburn is felt as a biting or burning pain in the middle of the upper chest, behind the sternum. The stronger the heartburn, the higher it moves to the throat and can even lead to a visibly reddened throat and an acidic taste in the mouth.

If it is chest pain that occurs suddenly, is permanent and is accompanied by a feeling of tightness in the chest, a heart attack must also be considered. If the pain comes in increasing waves, after a stressful situation or food consumption, and can be relieved by a glass of milk, a heart attack is unlikely. Flatulence, together with heartburn, does not usually occur as a sign of gastritis.

They can therefore be assigned to a different complex of causes. The cause can be an unhealthy diet or food intolerance (e.g. to lactose). A discussion with your family doctor will help here.

The detail shows the leaking stomach entrance, which allows a backflow of acidic food pulp through the esophagus.

Oesophagus
Stomach

Patients who suffer from heartburn often complain that the symptoms occur especially at night. This may be due to the fact that large fatty meals are eaten in the evening.

Another reason is lying flat in bed, where gravity makes a backflow from the stomach into the esophagus more likely. Accordingly, patients with heartburn are recommended to sleep with a slightly raised upper body. It is not uncommon for coughing to be a symptom that occurs in the context of inflammation of the mucous membranes of the esophagus and heartburn.

This is probably due to the fact that the stomach acid flowing back into the esophagus irritates the mucous membrane, which in turn leads to a coughing irritation. Back pain is not a typical symptom of heartburn, but it can occur as an accompanying symptom. Heartburn is caused by the transfer of gastric acid from the stomach to the esophagus.

The acid then irritates the mucous membrane, which can cause a burning pain. This may occasionally radiate into the back. A combination of heartburn with nausea and diarrhoea is rather rare.

Heartburn can occasionally lead to nausea because the stomach acid that has passed from the stomach into the oesophagus irritates the mucous membrane and can thus lead to nausea. Diarrhea usually has nothing to do with heartburn. A reflux esophagitis, i.e. an inflammation of the esophagus, can manifest itself through several symptoms.

Typical is acidic belching (heartburn) and a burning sensation behind the breastbone, which sometimes radiates into the upper abdomen and the left half of the chest. Also coughing is not a rare symptom in a reflux disease. Due to the burning in the area of the chest, which may also be localized in the left half of the chest, the symptoms can also be confused with the symptoms of a heart attack. In a heart attack, many patients describe a pressure or a burning pain in the area of the heart, which often radiates into the arm, the neck or the upper abdomen, often accompanied by shortness of breath.If it cannot be ruled out with certainty that the symptoms are indicative of a heart attack, a doctor should be contacted, who can differentiate between the two possible diagnoses by means of a blood sample and an ECG (electrocardiogram).