Conditions that cause difficulty with digestion can increase the risk of
GERD. These include: Obesity. Excess weight
puts extra
pressure on your stomach and diaphragm — the large muscle that separates your
chest and abdomen — forcing open the lower esophageal sphincter and allowing
stomach acids to back up into your
esophagus. Eating very large meals or meals
high in fat may cause similar effects. Hiatal hernia. In this
condition, also called diaphragmatic hernia, part of your stomach protrudes
into your lower chest. If the protrusion is large, a hiatal hernia can worsen
heartburn by further weakening the lower esophageal sphincter muscle. Pregnancy.
Pregnancy results in greater pressure on the stomach and a higher production of
the hormone progesterone. This hormone relaxes many of your muscles, including
the lower esophageal sphincter. Asthma. Doctors aren''t certain
of the exact relationship between asthma and heartburn. It may be that coughing
and difficulty exhaling lead to pressure changes in your chest and abdomen,
triggering regurgitation of stomach acid into your esophagus. Some asthma
medications that widen (dilate) airways may also relax the lower esophageal
sphincter and allow reflux. Or it''s possible that the acid reflux that causes
heartburn may worsen asthma symptoms. For example, you may inhale small amounts
of the digestive juices from your esophagus and pharynx, damaging lung airways.
Diabetes. One of the many complications of diabetes is
gastroparesis, a disorder in which your stomach takes too long to empty. If
left in your stomach too long, stomach contents can regurgitate into your
esophagus and cause heartburn. Peptic ulcer. An open sore or
scar near the valve (pylorus) in the stomach that controls the flow of food
into the small intestine can keep this valve from working properly or can
obstruct the release of food from the stomach. Food doesn''t empty from your
stomach as fast as it should, causing stomach acid to build up and back up into
your esophagus. Delayed stomach emptying. In addition to
diabetes or an ulcer, abnormal nerve or muscle functions can delay emptying of
your stomach, causing acid backup into the esophagus. Connective tissue
disorders. Diseases such as scleroderma that cause muscular tissue to
thicken and swell can keep digestive muscles from relaxing and contracting as
they should, allowing acid reflux. Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
One of the complications of this rare disorder is that your stomach produces
extremely large amounts of acid, increasing the risk of acid reflux.