Heartburn is a digestive disorder that causes burning sensation in the chest, along with a sour taste in the mouth.The heartburn can be experienced by the people after a heavy meal, especially lying down after the meal.This feeling can last up to few minutes or hours.

Heartburn occurs if the acid from the stomach enters the food valve.This happens due to the weakening and dysfunctional of lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which separates the food valve and the stomach, thus makes the gastric acid to enter in the food valve.Reflux is referred as the opening of the muscle and the gastric acid produces irritation in the valve.

The most common causes that facilitate heartburn are categorized in to three: greater inward pressure on the food valve causes to open it, slackening of muscles that lessen the strength of valves, and finally increase gastric acid production in the stomach.The elements leading to the inward pressure from the outside or inside of the food value are: eating large quantity of foods, eating gas producing meals, eating oily foods, putting tight fitting clothes, pregnancy, sleeping immediately after a big meal, and bending often after a meal.

The valve muscles are weakened by chewing tobacco, smoking, consuming certain foods, and consumption of alcoholic drinks.The factors that enhance the production of gastric acids are fatty foods, oily foods, deep fried snacks, stressful conditions, consuming excessive spicy foods, and some type of medicines.

The foods and drinks that relaxes the esophageal muscles and causes heartburns are coffee, tea, drinks containing caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, tomato and tomato-related products, citrus fruits and juices, carbonated drinks, mints or peppermints, obesity, and aspirin.Hiatal hernia is a protrusion that makes the stomach to move into the food valve and producing heartburn.

It has been estimated that an individual with asthma and diabetes have the greater chances for getting heartburn.Achalasia is an esophageal disorder that affects the free flow of food in the esophagus and also prevents the valve from relaxing.This is rarely diagnosed and one of the cause of heartburn.Another health condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) happens when the valve is not closed and thus, causes heartburn.

The health conditions that could possible cause heartburn are mediastinitis, acid regurgitation, strongyloidiasis, copper toxicity, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, indigestion, Worster Drought syndrome, Janbon syndrome, peptic ulcers, gastritis, lymphoma, esophagus cancer, niacin toxicity, scleroderma, stomach cancer, REST syndrome, acute gastritis, Short Bowel syndrome, and gastroparesis.

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