Treatments

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid or, occasionally, bile flows back (refluxes) into your food pipe (esophagus). The backwash of acid irritates the lining of your esophagus and causes GERD signs and symptoms that are generally referred to as heartburn or reflux.

Gastroparesis occurs when your stomach cannot empty itself of food as quickly as it should. The result may be heartburn or GERD, nausea, or bloating.

Any time an internal body part pushes into an area where it doesn't belong, it's called a hernia. The hiatus is an opening in the diaphragm -- the muscular wall separating the chest cavity from the abdomen. Normally, the esophagus (food pipe) goes through the hiatus and attaches to the stomach. In a hiatal hernia (also called hiatus hernia) the stomach bulges up into the chest through that opening.

Barrett’s esophagus is a condition affecting the lining of the esophagus, the swallowing tube that carries foods and liquids from the mouth to the stomach. Barrett's esophagus is caused by injury to the esophagus from the chronic backwash of stomach contents (like acid and enzymes) that occurs with acid reflux.

Achalasia happens when the esophagus cannot squeeze food down toward the stomach and the valve closing the esophagus off from the stomach does not open resulting in food backing up into your esophagus.

Esophageal and stomach cancer are two digestive cancers with no known causes but may result in heartburn symptoms, weight loss and loss of appetite in addition to other symptoms.