Hyperacidity
Hyperacidity literally means ‘excess of acid’ or ‘hyper-secretion of acid from stomach’, when taken in relation to GIT. The common causes of hyperacidity are prolonged ingestion of aspirin or some anti-inflammatory drugs, prolonged alcohol consumption, eating of spicy and highly seasoned food like chilly, pickles and heavy smoking. Stress is also an important cause for hyperacidity.
The common symptoms of hyperacidity are steady pain of short duration in upper abdomen immediately following a large or spicy meal or aspirin ingestion, nausea, vomiting, and loss of desire to eat which may persist for 1-2 days, heartburn or sour belching, early repletion or satiety after meals, a sense of abdominal distension or ‘bloating’, flatulence (burping, belching), vomiting of blood or blood in stools. Long-standing hyperacidity may lead to formation of ulcers in the stomach which may again lead to complications like perforation.
|
