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About heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux

These symptoms impact the daily lives of millions of people and can lead to other health conditions. Find out more about them here.

What is heartburn and indigestion?

Heartburn is a burning feeling in the chest caused by stomach acid travelling up towards the throat (acid reflux).

Indigestion is discomfort or painin the upper part of your chest that occurs soon after eating and drinking. In some cases, indigestion can be linked with acid reflux.

The main symptoms of acid reflux are:

Other symptoms may include

If acid reflux keeps happening over a long period of time, it is called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD).

What causes heartburn, acid reflux and indigestion?

When you eat, a ring of muscle at the bottom of your food pipe (oesophagus) opens to allow food into the stomach, then closes to stop any acid leaking back up. If the ring of muscle becomes weakened and doesn’t close fully, stomach acid is able to pass back up into the oesophagus causing symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn. 

Diagram Courtesy of Heartburn Cancer UK

Health problems caused by acid reflux

If you have GORD or acid reflux for some time, it may cause other health problems:

Ulcers in the oesophagus

These are open sores in the lining of the oesophagus. These can bleed, causing pain and making it difficult to swallow. This damage is caused by stomach acid leaking into the oesophagus due to GORD.

Oesophageal stricture

This is a problem where the food pipe becomes scarred and narrow from repeated damage due to GORD. An oesophageal stricture can make swallowing difficult and painful.

Barrett’s Oesophagus

This is a problem where repeat damage from acid reflux causes changes in the cells lining the oesophagus. It’s estimated that about 1 in every 10 people with GORD will develop Barrett’s oesophagus, usually after many years.

Barrett’s oesophagus doesn’t usually cause symptoms other than those caused by GORD. However, there’s a small risk that the changed cells could become cancerous in the future (see below).

Oesophageal Cancer

Oesophageal cancer is a type of cancer affecting the oesophagus (gullet) – the long tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach. It mainly affects people in their 60s and 70s and is more common in men than women.

It’s estimated that 1 in every 10-20 people with Barrett’s oesophagus will develop oesophageal cancer within 10-20 years.

*information from NHS Inform.