When you eat, food passes from the mouth into a tube (about
10 inches long in most people) called the esophagus. To enter the stomach, food
must pass through an opening between the esophagus and stomach. This opening
acts as a gate that allows food into the stomach.
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| Esophagus |
Usually, this opening closes as soon as food passes.
However, if you do not close properly, stomach acid can pass through the
opening and the esophagus. This is called reflux. Stomach acid can irritate the
esophagus and cause heartburn.
Hiatus hernia can also cause heartburn. The hiatus hernia is a condition in which part of the stomach pushes through the diaphragm (the muscle wall between the stomach and chest) and into the chest. Sometimes this causes heartburn.
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| Hiatus hernia |
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