Acid Reflux - What Should You Know?

Heart burn is a misnomer and does not have anything to do with the heart. Acid reflux affects the oesophagus and causes a burning sensation as the acids travel up the food pipe. A portion of the oesophagus is situated close to the heart. This makes a person feel that the pain and burning sensation is in the heart (pain due to angina also feels similar and is hence confusing to determine the cause).

Ph monitoring is used by doctors to diagnose acid reflux disease in patients. In this test, a small catheter is passed into the oesophagus through the nose with a sensor on its tip to detect the presence of stomach acids in the oesophagus.

The food after being chewed reaches the stomach through the food pipe (oesophagus). At the junction of this oesophagus and the stomach lies a muscular valve called the lower oesophageal sphincter. This valve works to keep the movement of the food unidirectional and prevent backflow. Stomach has an extremely acidic nature, and when this valve becomes weak the acid flows back into the oesophagus and causes acid reflux.

The gradually growing foetus in the uterus increases the pressure in the entire stomach region. This change in pressure causes the stomach acids to be pushed into the oesophagus. Also, the hormonal changes taking place during pregnancy makes the oesophageal muscles more relaxed and allows the backflow of acids.