Reflux (heartburn)

Reflux means acid content of the stomach flows back to the oesophagus.

Two thirds of the patients perceive this as a burning pain behind their breastbone, or acid regurgitation. One third of the patients have complaints in their neck/nose/throat area such as dry cough, hoarseness or a feeling of a foreign body.

The mucosa of the oesophagus is not protected against the aggressive gastric acid and responds with an inflammation, and adjusts through a change of the mucosal cells (metaplasia), which can lead to cancer of the oesophagus.

It is necessary to check long-term heartburn by means of a gastroscopy.