Functional Heartburn
Functional heartburn involves symptoms of a painful burning sensation behind the chest bone in cases where there is no evidence of heart problems, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) or similar conditions. It may also occur in addition to irritable bowel syndrome.
Symptoms
Because GORD presents similar symptoms to functional heartburn, it’s easy for them to be confused. However, with functional heartburn there is no sign of inflammation in the lining of the food pipe (oesophagus) or related diseases.
The discomfort of functional heartburn usually comes in waves and after meals. It can be accompanied by belching, regurgitation, bloating, feeling full too quickly when eating or pain in the upper abdomen. It’s experienced more often during the daytime.
Functional heartburn is said to affect about 20% of people, and is more common in women than men. The symptoms can be mild and last only for a short time or are relieved successfully with over-the-counter antacid treatments.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Diagnosis
If symptoms occur more frequently, are more painful or do not go away, then you should see a doctor, who’ll most likely recommend an endoscopy. This test involves a narrow tube (endoscope) containing a light and a camera being passed down the oesophagus so doctors can examine the lining of the food pipe.
If no inflammation is found, doctors may use a test called pH monitoring to measure the occurrence of gastric acid in the oesophagus so they can rule out GORD – where stomach acid frequently rises into the oesophagus. If readings are normal, your condition may be classed as functional heartburn.
The condition falls into different categories. For a minority of patients, the heartburn is caused by acid reflux. However, it could be because of a hypersensitivity to normal amounts of acid. Conventional acid reflux medications such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) can help in these situations.
The other category involves people whose symptoms don’t relate to acid reflux – and aren’t relieved by anti-reflux medications. It’s thought that people in this situation may simply have a heightened awareness of sensations in their oesophagus. Although this is not fully understood, there are suggestions that stress is a factor in making the symptoms worse. Possible treatments include relaxation techniques and making positive lifestyle changes among others.
Care at Chartwell Hospital
At Chartwell Digestive Health we have a team of experienced gastroenterology specialists, dedicated to providing the best possible care for all of our patients.
We diagnose and treat common abdominal symptoms such as rectal bleeding, change in bowel habit and abdominal pain which can be distressing for patients. In most cases, the symptoms are due to underlying health problems. However, for more serious cases, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment is key to recovery.
Our specialist team use comprehensive examinations and testing to diagnose various conditions. In addition to testing blood and stool samples, our Consultant Gastroenterologists may use other diagnostic tools including colonoscopy, gastroscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, MRI, X-rays, and CT scans.
Doctors & Departments
Department
Gastroenterology
Doctors
Meet our team of experienced gastroenterology specialists