Is indigestion a sign of another ailment?

Answer 1

Indigestion is commonly called gastric reflux, which is a descriptive term for the flow of stomach contents (eg, acid) up and into the esophagus (the food tube). Mild, intermittent gastric reflux is a very common condition and affects a large minority of people. This can often be relieved by sleeping with an extra pillow under one's head, minimizing acid-generating foods in the diet (eg, caffeine), and/or taking antacids (eg, TUMS). These mild cases are generally without medical consequence.

Moderate to severe gastric reflux should be managed by a physician. These cases tend not to respond so well to the interventions mentioned above. Some people with this degree of reflux may simply need more targeted therapy, such as medications that inhibit the production of acid by the stomach. There are several such medications; common ones include ranitidine, cimetidine, omeprazole, and pantoprazole.

Others with moderate to severe reflux may need additional evaluation to investigate whether the gastric reflux is associated with an underlying condition. Such conditions do exist, and can generally be categorized as problems with the esophagus and problems with the stomach's production of acid. Esophageal problems include hiatal hernia, in which there is laxity in the muscles that normally prevent backflow of acid from the stomach into the esophagus; scleroderma is associated with poor muscular control of the esophagus, leading to reflux.

Gastric problems are generally those that lead to increased acid production. These include gastrinoma (a tumor made of cells that tell the stomach to make acid), which can lead to Zollinger-Ellison syndrome; and hypercalcemia (high blood calcium levels), which can lead to increased acid production.