Heartburn Care
Is the nagging of heartburn familiar to you? Frequent, severe heartburn could actually be gastroesophageal reflux disease, often called GERD. The American College of Gastroenterology reports that approximately 25 million American adults suffer from heartburn - the most common symptom of acid reflux or GERD - on a daily basis.
Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital is here to help you find relief from heartburn caused by acid reflux, GERD or a more serious condition.
What is Heartburn?
When everything is functioning as it should, a muscle at the lower end of your esophagus opens when you swallow, allowing food to pass into your stomach. If that muscle is weakened or relaxes at the wrong time, acid from your stomach can flow back into your esophagus (acid reflux), creating the sensation of heartburn. Acid reflux may also cause persistent sore throat, hoarseness, chronic cough, asthma, chest pain or a feeling of having a lump in the throat.
If acid reflux becomes a chronic problem, it can lead to trouble swallowing, esophageal bleeding or ulcers and an increased risk of developing cancerous cells at the bottom of the esophagus.
Screening Tests for Heartburn
Physicians must diagnose the severity of a patient's heartburn symptoms and also determine the underlying condition causing it in order to prevent damage. This can often be done based on the degree, location and frequency of a patient's pain.
For patients with severe symptoms, Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital provides testing services to help determine the underlying condition, as well as surgical solutions if needed. Testing includes:
- Upper endoscopy or EGD—a test for doctors to see damage in the esophagus, stomach or small intestine using a small camera
- Esophageal pH monitoring—a test of the amount of time acid stays in the esophagus
- Esophageal manometry—a measure of the pressure of muscle contractions
- Barium swallow—a test using dye and X-ray to help identify issues within the esophagus
If you experience persistent heartburn, talk to your provider today about finding relief.