What increases the risk of heartburn?
There is often no known reason for increases in heartburn. But occasionally one of the factors below may contribute. Hiatus hernia This is the name for the condition where the upper part of the stomach has passed up through the hole in the diaphragm. This means the muscle fibres of the sphincter can’t press on the lower part of the food pipe. As a result, the lower part of the gullet is normally open, when it should be closed. Obesity In people who are overweight the fat in their abdominal cavity exerts more pressure on the stomach. This causes high pressure inside the stomach, and the contents of the stomach may then be pushed up into the food pipe. Weight loss will reduce the chance of stomach acid reflux. Pregnancy The enlarged uterus (womb) presses on the stomach. This causes the same kind of high pressure inside the stomach as in people who are overweight. The change that pregnancy brings to the balance of the hormones also leads to a general relaxation of the gullet sphincter. La
