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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Of the gut-brain connection — how your nervous system conveys sensations in your digestive system to your brain. Functional heartburn feels like classic heartburn, but there’s no sign of acid reflux, erosion or inflammation. Reflux hypersensitivity is caused by non-acid reflux. Overactive nerves can contribute to the burning sensation (visceral hypersensitivity).Is heartburn serious?Occasional heartburn is uncomfortable, but it won’t do any real damage. In fact, some amount of acid reflux is normal, and most people don’t even feel it. If you’re feeling it, you may be getting more acid reflux than your esophagus can tolerate. If this happens occasionally, it’s a minor wound that will heal quickly. If it happens regularly though, your esophagus lining may not have enough time to heal in between.When your esophagus lining is consistently injured, it can lead to long-term complications, like:Esophageal strictures. When the tissues lining your esophagus are constantly inflamed, eventually they might begin to replace themselves with scar tissue. Since the esophagus is essentially a long tube, that inflammation and scarring will cause your esophagus to narrow (stricture). This can lead to swallowing problems and food getting stuck in your esophagus.Intestinal metaplasia. Sometimes instead of scarring, the tissues undergo a different kind of change. It’s called intestinal metaplasia because they change to look more like the lining of your intestines. When it happens in your esophagus, it’s also called Barrett’s esophagus. This is considered a precancerous condition.Esophageal cancer. Only a small percentage of people develop esophageal cancer. But there’s a direct pathway from persistent inflammation (esophagitis) to cellular changes (Barrett’s esophagus) that lead to cancer. The risk increases the more severe your heartburn is and the longer it goes untreated.Acid reflux that causes heartburn may also indicate other hidden problems in your digestive system. For example, you may have too much acid in your stomach, which can cause complications like gastritis and stomach ulcers. Acid reflux may also aggravate your asthma or other chronic respiratory conditions. If reflux rises into your throat, it can cause swelling and lead to ulcers and growths there.
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