If you suffer from heartburn, at least occasionally, then you are not alone. The facts about heartburn include survey numbers which indicate that 25% of people living in the United States suffer from heartburn every month and about 12% have symptoms every week. Many people want to know the difference between heartburn and acid reflux, probably because of all the advertising done by pharmaceutical companies. If you look up reflux in the dictionary, you will see that ?reflux? literally means ?to flow back?. The term acid reflux refers to the ?flowing back? of stomach acid. Digestive acids are normally confined to the stomach by muscles in the esophagus. When the acid flows back from the stomach up into the esophagus, then we get heartburn and acid reflux is really a medical term for heartburn. The facts about heartburn are simple, stomach acid which does not belong in the throat burns. The facts about heartburn causes and treatments may not be as simple.
The major difference between heartburn and acid reflux ?disease? has to do with the frequency of symptoms. Heartburn experienced several times per week may be acid reflux disease. However, there is one type of acid reflux disease in which only ?some? people experience heartburn. Acid that refluxes back into the lowest part of the esophagus may not cause the burning sensation. It is more often accompanied by difficulty swallowing or other symptoms. When you look at the facts about heartburn, you may see that difficulty swallowing or the feeling that there is something stuck in your throat, sometimes accompanies heartburn. Difficulty swallowing can be a symptom of even more serious conditions. Frequent heartburn and/or difficulty swallowing should be reported to your physician. Chronic heartburn or acid reflux can lead to more serious conditions. Only your doctor can give you all of the facts about heartburn and the difference between heartburn and acid reflux disease.
For more information about heartburn and other common dige! stive pr oblems, visit www.digestive-disorders-guide.com.
Patsy Hamilton writes informational articles for the Digestive Disorders Guide. Visit us at http://www.digestive-disorders-guide.com
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