Heartburn is nothing more than the common “heartburn,” which sometimes may occur occasionally but in other cases tends to recur until it becomes chronic, with periods of remission alternating with periods of flare-ups.
It generally does not occur as a disease in its own right but as a symptom that can be traced back to various diseases affecting the digestive system.
The stomach contains acid that helps digest food and a protective coating that allows it to handle acid, a coating that the esophagus does not have.
At the bottom of the esophagus is a sphincter, which acts like a door by opening to allow food to enter the stomach and closing to keep stomach contents out of the esophagus.
When the sphincter does not function properly, stomach contents (including acid) flow back into the esophagus, causing the burning sensation called heartburn.
