Hiatus hernia | Health Information | Bupa UK

Thứ Hai, ngày 11/07/2022 - 22:44
439
Hiatus hernia | Health Information | Bupa UK

Below is an article on the topic Hiatus hernia | Health Information | Bupa UK compiled by the editors of Gootoplist.com. Gootoplist - a general information page about useful tips for life

Navigation

c22cadf0-9ce4-47b2-8429-f09f42829115-1690

Giving you choice and flexibility

Health insurance specifically for business

How Bupa can help with COVID-19

To discuss your healthcare needs call us on

Personal
0808 271 8573 ^

Members
0330 134 5502 ^

If you have Bupa health insurance, you can come to us before seeing a GP

ba1c8779-176e-49d7-9261-6dfa7302f542-8E48

Bupa Dental Care

View our range of dental treatments

Find out about payment options

Find information about dental symptoms

View our suite of services including NHS and private care

Browse our dental FAQs

View all the latest news from Bupa Dental Care

Find out how we can help you in an emergency

Tips and advice on supporting your child’s dental health

Dental insurance

See how our dental plans compare

Find answers to common dental insurance questions

Dental professionals

Refer your patient to us for specific treatments

Look for a career with Bupa Dental Care

28fa3322-93af-4981-975f-aa11938cabf0-73E2

Call to find out more about care home careers
0808 231 1041

Arranging care can be stressful, we’re here to help. Based in Leeds, our Customer Care Team provides free advice and support whenever you need it.

Call our Customer Care Team on
0345 600 4622^

b99b282d-0bd9-4755-896f-8a148ed1b85e-CBE3

Pay as you go healthcare

Help to understand your health and identify any future health risks

51e0708c-353c-4374-abd8-1215b348315b-8B26

Most popular topic pages

Learn about symptoms, causes and treatment

Use our calculator to find out your BMI

Read about the treatment of warts and verrucas

How they work and how much you should take

Find out about symptoms and diagnosis

Reviewed by experts, written in plain English

Healthy Me

Over 400 articles, from our health experts, to help you live a longer, healthier, happier life

Get the most out of life

Reach your fitness goals

Take care of your mental wellbeing

Manage, prevent and recover

Make healthier food choices

Health hubs

Information dedicated to knee health including treatment and care

Read about how to look after your mental health and learn about different conditions

Information dedicated to running including training plans, advice and tips

Learn what dementia is, why it happens, and how to get support

How to spot poor workplace mental health and improve wellbeing within your team

Relevant health and wellbeing advice from our Bupa experts and influential guest speakers.

Back to top

Menu

Expert reviewer, Mr Peter Lamb, Consultant General and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon
Next review due October 2023

A hiatus hernia is when part of your stomach slides upwards into your chest, which can cause symptoms such as heartburn. You don’t necessarily need any treatment for a hiatus hernia, but if it’s causing any problems there are lots of things that can help.

Usually, your stomach sits completely below a sheet of muscle, called your diaphragm. This separates your chest from your abdomen (tummy). There’s an opening in your diaphragm called a hiatus. Your oesophagus (the tube that carried food from your mouth to your stomach) passes through the hiatus. A hiatus hernia usually develops when part of your stomach slides up through this opening and into your chest.

A hiatus hernia doesn’t always cause problems. But it may allow acid from your stomach to travel the wrong way, back up your oesophagus. This is called gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), or acid reflux, and this is what causes your symptoms.

There are two main types of hiatus hernia.

You can also have a mixed hiatus hernia, which is a combination of these types. These can become very large and include a lot of your stomach. You’re more likely to need surgery for this type.

Hiatus hernias are very common. Up to half of the population may have one, although it’s hard to say for sure, as many people don’t have symptoms. There are certain factors that make you more likely to develop a hiatus hernia. These include:

With our GP services, we aim to give you an appointment the same day, subject to availability. Find out more about our GP services >

To book or to make an enquiry, call us on 03456192961^

Many people with a hiatus hernia don’t have any symptoms.

But, if you have a sliding hiatus hernia, you may develop gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). This is when acid from your stomach travels back up your oesophagus. Symptoms of GORD can include:

You may notice certain things cause a flare-up of your symptoms, such as particular foods, drinking alcohol or feeling stressed. See the self-help section below for more information.

You can usually manage symptoms like these yourself, without needing to see a doctor. But if your symptoms don’t go away with over-the-counter medicines and lifestyle changes, or your symptoms are severe or getting worse, see your GP.

You should also see your GP urgently if you’re having difficulty swallowing, or food gets stuck.

If you see your GP, they’ll ask about your symptoms, how they affect you and what could be triggering them. They may also ask about your family history, and examine you too. Your GP can let you know things you can try to help improve your symptoms, without the need for tests.

If these measures haven’t worked or your GP has any concerns about your symptoms, they may refer you to a gastroenterologist for further investigation and assessment. A gastroenterologist is a doctor who specialises in conditions of the digestive system. Your gastroenterologist may recommend you have some of the following tests.

There’s a lot you can do yourself to ease the symptoms of a hiatus hernia, and to help stop them from happening again.

Try printing and filling out the food and symptoms diary (PDF, 1.4MB) below to help you identify foods that cause you problems.

Treatment for hiatus hernia depends on how severe your symptoms are and how much they’re bothering you. You won’t usually need treatment for a hiatus hernia at all if it’s not causing you any problems.

If you do get symptoms, making changes to your lifestyle and taking medicines can help to ease them, but they won’t cure your hiatus hernia.

There are lots of indigestion medicines that can ease the symptoms of heartburn when they happen. You can buy many of these without a prescription, but some need to be prescribed by a doctor. Ask your pharmacist for advice if you need it.

Medicines which may be used to treat the symptoms of a hiatus hernia include the following.

If medicines aren’t controlling your symptoms, they’re causing side-effects or you don’t want to carry on taking them long term, speak to your doctor. They may suggest you see a specialist surgeon to consider an operation.

If you have a rolling or a mixed hiatus hernia and have pain or vomiting after eating, then your doctor should also refer you to a specialist surgeon to consider an operation.

The most common surgical treatment for a hiatus hernia is an operation called a fundoplication. This is often done as a keyhole (laparoscopic) procedure, but sometimes you may need open surgery. It involves repairing your hiatus hernia and wrapping the top part of your stomach around your lower oesophagus (the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach). This can help to control your symptoms as well as reduce your hiatus hernia.

Occasionally, a hiatus hernia can lead to more serious problems.

Occasionally, if your hiatus hernia keeps letting stomach acid come up into your oesophagus, it can lead to more serious complications. These include the following.

If you have a rolling hernia, the part of your stomach which has gone up into your chest can become trapped by the diaphragm, cutting off the blood supply. This is called a strangulated hernia and causes severe pain. If this happens, it is an emergency and you’ll need an operation immediately.

Heartburn isn’t always related to having a hiatus hernia. There are lots of other things that can trigger the symptoms of heartburn, such as:

Most people who have a hiatus hernia don’t have any serious problems. If your symptoms respond well to medicines, it’s not always necessary to have any tests to find out.

Many people who have a hiatus hernia have no symptoms. However, if you have symptoms such as heartburn, you may find that avoiding certain foods helps prevent these.

There’s no clear scientific evidence about which foods make symptoms of hiatus hernia worse. However, doctors often recommend that you try avoiding:

You may already be aware that some of these or other foods trigger your symptoms. Use our Food and symptoms diary in the Self-help section above to help identify foods that may cause you problems.

Try eating small meals only and avoid eating for a few hours before sleeping. And remember that even if you cut out some foods, it’s important to keep eating a healthy balanced diet.

We’d love to hear what you think. Our short survey takes just a few minutes to complete and helps us to keep improving our health information.

At Bupa we produce a wealth of free health information for you and your family. This is because we believe that trustworthy information is essential in helping you make better decisions about your health and wellbeing.

Our information has been awarded the PIF TICK for trustworthy health information. It also follows the principles of the The Information Standard.

Learn more about our editorial team and principles >

Barrett's oesophagus is when the cells that line the lower part of your oesophagus get damaged by acid and bile travelling upwards from your stomach.

Fundoplication is an operation to treat gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) when it can’t be controlled with lifestyle changes and medicines.

Indigestion medicines can be used to relieve pain or discomfort in your upper abdomen (tummy) or chest that may occur soon after meals.

This information is for you if you have indigestion and are considering seeing your doctor.

Reviewed by Pippa Coulter, Freelance Health Editor, October 2020
Expert reviewer, Mr Peter Lamb, Consultant General and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeon
Next review due October 2023

This information was published by Bupa's Health Content Team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals and deemed accurate on the date of review. Photos are only for illustrative purposes and do not reflect every presentation of a condition.

Any information about a treatment or procedure is generic, and does not necessarily describe that treatment or procedure as delivered by Bupa or its associated providers.

The information contained on this page and in any third party websites referred to on this page is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice nor is it intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment. Third party websites are not owned or controlled by Bupa and any individual may be able to access and post messages on them. Bupa is not responsible for the content or availability of these third party websites. We do not accept advertising on this page.

For more details on how we produce our content and its sources, visit the About our health information section.

^We may record or monitor our calls

Above is the article Hiatus hernia | Health Information | Bupa UK shared by Gootoplist team. Next, I also write an article related to this article to synthesize the knowledge about how to fix a hiatal hernia yourself Hope to bring you useful information, thank you for your interest and follow. track!