Acid Reflux Disease Symptoms

Acid reflux is mainly caused due to regurgitation or refluxing of partly digested food back to esophagus. This reflux causes inflammation in food tube leading to burning sensations and pain in stomach and digestive tract. Once food has reached stomach, the lid of sphincter muscle should close properly and prevent food from refluxing back. But when due to some reason sphincter muscle fails to do so it results in acid reflux.

Though the root causes are often unclear, perhaps the most prevalent acid reflux cause is a poor diet. Acid reflux occurs during digestion, when the stomach churns up acid or refluxes it into the esophagus, causing a burning sensation in the chest or throat. So if you eat too many highly acidic foods like tomato sauces and/or fatty, fried foods, the stomach has to process an overabundance of acid. Too much acid can push back through a valve between the stomach and the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). Acid reflux culprits include but are not limited to tomato based sauces, fried and fatty foods, chocolate, alcohol, citrus fruits, peppers, and caffeinated beverages

The most common acid reflux cause is an esophageal sphincter that does not function properly. The esophageal sphincter is a tough rim of muscle that surrounds the lower end of the esophagus. When food is eaten, the sphincter contracts strongly to push the food into the stomach, thus preventing stomach contents from backing up into the throat and mouth.

Another cause of acid reflux comes from eating large meals. This increases pressure on the stomach causing the stomach contents to be forced out and up into the esophagus. You will need to give your body at least two hours to digest your food properly. In addition, never ever lie down immediately after eating a large meal.

Another very common acid reflux causes is an abnormality of the stomach muscles which normally force the food through the lower stomach sphincter and into the small intestine. When these muscles are impaired the food remains in the stomach for too long and the production of acid becomes uncontrollable.

A more serious but less common example of the acid reflux causes is the hiatal hernia. This is where a small section of the stomach becomes trapped in a natural hole in the diaphragm. This process in itself isn’t one of the acid reflux causes however it affects the lower oesophageal sphincter and results in it not being able to close completely. As mentioned above, this then leads to stomach acid making its way up the oesophagus and causing the damage associated with the condition.