Current problem
For most people, heartburn is simply an occasional discomfort. Approximately 20% of the population of highly developed countries experience it at least once a month.
But for the 6% of people who have a chronic form of heartburn known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), unresolved (untreated) symptoms can lead to various health complications. People with erosions in the lining of the esophagus due to acid reflux often do not realize the harm of GERD until they have advanced stages of the disease.
If you experience frequent or prolonged heartburn (twice a week on a regular basis), consult your doctor. Here are nine reasons why you shouldn't ignore the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Causes and symptoms of heartburn and bitterness in the mouth
In some cases, symptoms appear once, usually after eating pine nuts, fatty or spicy foods, or stressful situations. Belching after eating is also a normal option. If the alarming symptoms do not recur, you have nothing to worry about - most likely, this is the body’s reaction to one of the above.
However, if heartburn and bitterness bother you often, you need to be wary. The list of diseases that can cause these unpleasant symptoms is quite impressive:
- Gastrointestinal diseases (enteritis, colitis, gastritis, etc.);
- Liver damage;
- Problems with the gallbladder (cholelithiasis or cholecystitis);
- Parasitic diseases;
- Deficiency of certain vitamins or microelements (usually B vitamins);
- Hormonal disorders.
These symptoms also very often accompany pregnancy.
If you regularly experience an unpleasant taste in your mouth, you need to get examined and understand why heartburn and bitterness in your mouth appear. Further treatment will depend on the causes.
Development of inflammation in the esophagus (esophagitis)
In gastroesophageal reflux disease, food, acid, and digestive juices back up into the esophagus. Over time, this causes irritation and swelling of the mucous membrane lining the inside of the esophagus. This is esophagitis. If acid exposure in the esophagus is observed for just a few weeks, then inflammation of the mucous membrane can already develop. This can cause discomfort and even pain along the midline of the abdominal wall, “in the pit of the stomach,” where the right and left ribs meet at the sternum. This inflammation makes the esophagus vulnerable to even more dangerous conditions - erosions or scars.
Belching, heartburn and nausea
(sometimes with vomiting)
Belching, heartburn and nausea are typical symptoms indicating a malfunction of the digestive organs. Sometimes their appearance is associated with an unbalanced diet, eating disorder or overeating. But if the problem constantly bothers you, then this is a reason to seriously concern yourself with your health.
Causes
The triad of symptoms may indicate both organic damage to the digestive organs and functional disorders.
Organic disorders can be caused by:
- Gastritis (inflammation of the mucous membranes of the stomach). In addition to belching, nausea, heartburn is manifested by pain or pulling sensations in the epigastric region.
- Gastroduodenitis (inflammation of the mucous membranes of the stomach and duodenum). It has symptoms similar to gastritis, only pain can also be felt in the upper right part of the abdomen.
- Esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus). Characterized by dyspeptic disorders and burning pain behind the sternum. If the pathology is complicated by the appearance of erosions (shallow ulcers) on the walls of the esophagus, then vomiting mixed with blood may be added to the main symptoms.
- Gastroesophageal disease (inflammation of the lower esophagus). It develops as a result of regular reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. Manifestations of the disease include sour or bitter belching, heartburn, and pain in the chest, which intensifies after meals.
- Gastric ulcer (the appearance of deep defects in the walls of the stomach). With this disease, dyspeptic disorders are usually combined with severe pain in the pit of the stomach that occurs on an empty stomach or after eating. Vomiting is common.
- Postcholecystectomy syndrome. May occur in patients who have had their gallbladder removed. Main symptoms: belching, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, flatulence. Belching has a bitter taste.
Functional disorders include those cases when organic pathology is not detected during diagnosis.
How is the examination carried out?
The final diagnosis is established after a full examination of the patient. Mandatory are:
- consultation with a gastroenterologist,
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs,
- gastroscopy,
- general and biochemical blood tests,
- stool test to detect occult blood.
If necessary, radiography, pH-metry, and Helicobacter pylori analysis are additionally prescribed.
You can undergo all the necessary tests and visit a gastroenterologist at the Spectra clinic. We have experienced doctors who will help determine the exact cause of the disorders and select an effective set of treatment measures. If you want to quickly and competently get rid of the problem, please contact us, we will be happy to help you.
Esophageal stricture
If esophagitis continues for too long, the resulting scar tissue can narrow the esophagus. This stricture can lead to difficulty passing and swallowing food, which can become stuck at the level of scar tissue, causing pain.
Large pieces of food may become stuck and this situation may require endoscopic intervention to remove them. The stricture may cause frequent choking when eating. Because of this, patients often refuse to eat and lose a lot of weight.
Stricture is treated by widening or stretching the esophagus (bougienage or dilatation). These treatment procedures can have multiple effects on the stricture. But taking stomach acid blockers (proton pump inhibitors, PPIs, or H2 blockers) may prevent scarring in the esophagus from returning in the future.
Factors causing belching
Belching is a sign of inflammatory processes in the esophagus.
Belching in people who do not suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as a rule, is episodic.
The masses released either have a neutral odor, or an unpleasant odor of undigested food is felt. Appears due to:
- active articulation during eating;
- swallowing insufficiently crushed food fragments too quickly;
- eating under stress;
- eating too much;
- Swallowing too much air occurs with food or simply during activity.
In addition, certain types of food can cause active formation of gas bubbles that escape through the esophagus into the oral cavity:
- sparkling mineral water, sweet soda;
- artificially oxygenated drinks;
- milk drinks;
- cold desserts such as ice cream and popsicles;
- dishes with a lot of onions, or excessive consumption of onions raw;
- peas, beans, soybeans and other beans or cabbage dishes also cause belching, although they are more characterized by increased gas formation in the intestines.
Throat and voice problems
The main symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease is heartburn, but not all people feel or report it. They may have other symptoms that are more difficult to diagnose. Doctors call these cases "silent reflux," or asymptomatic reflux. The patient may not have heartburn as classically described in textbooks, but they may have various other problems that occur outside the esophagus, such as hoarseness, voice changes, sore throat, or chronic cough. They feel as if there is a lump or hair in their throat and constantly have to clear their throat by coughing and clearing their throat.
Breathing problems
If stomach acid accidentally flows into the windpipe after gastroesophageal reflux disease causes it to enter the esophagus, GERD can worsen asthma or pneumonia. Even without lung problems, GERD can cause shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. And treatment in this situation can be a double-edged sword. Because GERD medications, such as proton pump inhibitors, may actually increase the risk of pneumonia. (They can promote bacterial growth and suppress coughing, which is designed to help clear the lungs.)
Pay your doctor's attention to your lung function when treating reflux.
Omez 10 mg for heartburn
Omez 10 mg belongs to the group of drugs called proton pump inhibitors, which are used to treat heartburn4. The drug helps suppress the production of acid in the stomach. Omez 10 mg is recommended to be taken 30 minutes before meals so that it has time to reach the parietal cells of the stomach and block the work of the proton pump - the last stage of acid production. The maximum recommended course of treatment without consulting a doctor is 14 days4.
Omez 10 mg is available in a special aluminum strip, which protects the drug from the effects of environmental factors. Pillets (small granules containing the active substance inside) have three layers, two of which contribute to the full delivery of the active substance to the parietal cells. The drug undergoes 37 control tests. It is recommended to take 2 capsules of Omez 10 mg per day4.
The causes of heartburn after eating sweets are the excessive production of stomach acid. Omez 10 mg helps reduce the production of this acid, so it can be used to treat and combat heartburn and sour belching caused by sweets4.
Bibliography:
- I.G. Pakhomova. Heartburn: modern principles of examination and treatment of patients // RMJ. 2015. No. 21. pp. 1249–1252. https://www.rmj.ru/articles/gastroenterologiya/Izghoga_sovremennye_principy_obsledovaniyai_lecheniya…
- Ivashkin V.T., Maev I.V., Trukhmanov A.S., Baranskaya E.K., Dronova O.B., Zayratiants O.V., Sayfutdinov R.G., Sheptulin A.A., Lapina T. L.L., Pirogov S.S., Kucheryavyi Yu.A., Storonova O.A., Andreev D.N. Clinical guidelines of the Russian Gastroenterological Association for the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Ros journal gastroenterol hepatol coloproctol 2017; 27(4):75-95. (https://webmed.irkutsk.ru/doc/pdf/gerdru.pdf)
- Osadchuk A.M., Davydkin I.L., Gritsenko T.A., Khairetdinov R.K., Kurtov I.V., Danilova O.E., Rogozina L.A., Kosyakova Yu.A., Krivova S. .P. Heartburn syndrome. Current issues of pathogenesis, differential diagnosis and treatment // Modern problems of science and education. – 2022. – No. 5.; URL: https://www.science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=26974 (access date: 09/22/2020).
- Instructions for use of the medicinal product for medical use OMEZ®10 mg LP 00328 dated 07/11/17 Date of access 09/22/20.
Esophageal ulcers
Stomach acid can erode the lining of the esophagus, causing sores and ulcers. Esophageal ulcers are different from stomach ulcers, which are usually caused by bacteria. People with wounds and sores may spit up blood and may also vomit blood. They may see blood in their stool. The blood may be red, cherry red, or like coffee particles. In stool, blood from the esophagus and stomach usually turns black when passing through the small intestine, the color and appearance of oil - viscous, slippery, and difficult to wash off.
Contact your doctor immediately if you have these symptoms. Endoscopy can detect ulcers of the esophagus. Acid-blocking or acid-lowering medications may make them disappear.
Sour taste when burping
Belching with a sour taste appears in the following cases:
- reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus;
- gastritis;
- ulcerative lesions;
- oncological diseases.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are always accompanied by belching, and without curing them it is impossible to get rid of this symptom. Patients need to consult a specialist because they may suffer from ulcerative lesions or inflammation of the mucous membrane if:
Barrett's esophagus
If left untreated for many years, persistent acid reflux can form changes in cells known as Barrett's esophagus, which is considered a precancerous condition. This condition does not cause many symptoms other than those of reflux. A doctor can diagnose it by performing an endoscopy.
If you have heartburn more than twice a week for a long time, or if you have symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease that are getting worse or you have discovered new ones that you didn't have before, these are all reasons to get checked and have an endoscopy.
Belching with a characteristic acetone odor
Such belching often occurs in diabetics whose disease is complicated by:
- increased blood sugar levels over a long period of time;
- disorders of nervous activity. In this case, the functioning of the digestive tract is disrupted, muscle arrhythmia occurs, food does not move through the intestines quickly enough, and reflux occurs. In the stomach cavity, food residues can also linger, the fermentation process begins, and a large amount of gases are released;
- dysfunction of carbohydrate metabolism. This dysfunction leads to gastric and intestinal atony, while the mucous membranes are constantly irritated.
Diabetics experience belching and a burning sensation mainly after eating. This may also be accompanied by attacks of nausea. Constant monitoring by an endocrinologist helps alleviate this condition.
This video will tell you about burping and more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIvzMoDKgdU
Esophageal carcinoma
In very serious cases, untreated gastroesophageal reflux disease (and subsequent Barrett's esophagus) can lead to esophageal cancer. The main risk factors are alcohol consumption, smoking, poor nutrition, and chronic esophageal diseases with reflux.
Symptoms include weight loss, trouble swallowing, or gastrointestinal bleeding. This is something that happens over decades of untreated reflux (30-40 years), so those who are 30 and otherwise healthy have no reason to suspect cancer. But if you're over 50 and have had heartburn for years and suddenly lose weight, for example, this is definitely what your doctor will suspect first.
Prevention of belching
To prevent the occurrence of pathological belching, you should undergo regular medical examinations. It is also recommended to limit the consumption of fried, fatty, spicy foods, legumes and foods high in yeast, fast food, confectionery, alcoholic and carbonated drinks. You should eat in small portions, avoiding overeating. It is not recommended to take a horizontal position immediately after eating.
Call our contact center at 8 (495) 230 03 09 and we will help you make an appointment with a specialist!
