Bodily Conditions that Cause Acid Reflux Disorder
Acid Reflux Disorder is a disease in the digestive tract that is mainly caused by a relaxed or weak lower esophageal sphincter, also known as LES. The LES is a specialized valve muscle found between the esophagus and the stomach, permitting the entrance of liquid and food and making sure that while digesting, everything stays in the stomach. Thus, any factors causing the LES to do otherwise would then cause the backflow of harmful digestive acid, bile and enzyme into the esophagus causing irritations and even damage.
A lot of factors may be the cause to the weakened or relaxed LES bringing forth the symptoms of acid reflux disorder. These may be various substances induced by the patient or the physiological condition that the body is in. This article focuses on the later category.
Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES)
Even without the introduction of substances that may affect the functionality of the LES, the digestive part itself may have abnormalities that may lead to acid reflux disorder. There have been patients found to have atypically weak LES muscles, making it unfit in stopping the acid backflow from happening. Another abnormality diagnosed with patients is the irregular LES relaxations where it does not associate the right timing to open up when the food or liquid is swallowed.
Hiatal Hernia
It is medical diagnosis where the patient is found to have a stomach that protrudes upward way into the diaphragm. The protrusion may exert itself in the esophageal hiatus which is a cavity within the diaphragm which is supposed to serve as the passage of the vagus nerves together with the esophagus. Another case where protrusion may occur is when the diaphragm has a tear that allows the stomach to occupy the space in the tear. The protrusion will cause the LES to be dysfunctional, thus, acid reflux disorder arises.
Pregnancy
Acid reflux disorder may affect pregnant women not only because of the space that the fetus takes causing the slight shift in the arrangement of the organs. The change in the hormonal levels, specifically progesterone, also causes certain adjustments to how the digestive system works thus bringing forth acid reflux disorder.
Weight Gain
It has long since been known that obesity is a great risk factor to acquiring acid reflux disorder. But with the recent medical studies, it was proved that not only obesity but even the variation in weight or weight gain is enough to trigger the disease. When one gains weight, the abdominal pressure is increased and this in turn affects the functionality of the LES.
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