Heartburn/GERD Health Center
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Study: Stomach Acid Drugs Linked to Fracture Risk
Long-term, regular users of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix appear to have a heightened risk of fractures, a study shows.
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Understanding Heartburn -- the Basics
What Is Heartburn?
Despite its name, heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. Some of the symptoms, however, are similar to those of a heart attack or heart disease. Heartburn is an irritation of the esophagus that is caused by stomach acid.
With gravity's help, a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter, or LES, keeps stomach acid in the stomach. The LES is located where the esophagus meets the stomach -- below the rib cage and slightly left of center. Normally it opens to allow food into the stomach or to permit belching; then it closes again. But if the LES opens too often or does not close tight enough, stomach acid can reflux, or seep, into the esophagus and cause a burning sensation.