The cardia of the stomach (in other words chalazia) separates the internal cavity of the organ and the esophagus. It is a sphincter or muscle ring located at the junction of the stomach and esophagus. This ring is designed so that food does not get back into the esophagus. Cardia insufficiency means disruption of the sphincter, expressed in its incomplete closure. The disease can lead to scarring, ulcers in the esophagus, prolapse of the mucosa, and difficulty swallowing. Therefore, it requires treatment, which can be carried out by three methods: surgical, drug and folk.
What is it - failure of the cardia of the stomach
The disease develops as a result of exposure to certain negative factors that lead to insufficient closure of the cardia, which further contributes to the development of complications.
Anyone can be susceptible to this disease. Often it is not possible to prevent the causes. However, the most common causes are those associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. The main factors affecting the ability of the sphincter to close and causing the development of gastric cardia failure:
- A sedentary, sedentary lifestyle.
- Overeating before bedtime.
- Excessive salt intake.
- Smoking and alcohol abuse.
- Stressful situations.
- Irregular nutrition.
- The presence of excess weight.
- Low immunity.
- Lack of dietary fiber from food.
- Earlier operations to remove the cardinal sphincter.
In the presence of several of these factors, cardia failure occurs. Reflux is the throwing of food and gastric juice back into the esophagus. Non-closure of the cardia often provokes reflux. It is accompanied by an unpleasant belching. Since gastric juice contains hydrochloric acid for processing incoming food, regular refluxes can cause inflammation of the esophagus and even ulceration.
What diseases cause problems with cardia of the stomach
In medicine, there are cases when the functional work of the sphincter was disrupted as a result of certain diseases. The most common ones are:
- Diabetes.
- Obesity.
- Asthma.
- Chronic diseases of the stomach (gastritis with cardia failure, ulcer, tumor).
- Grasping hernia.
- The increased acidity of the stomach.
Symptoms
The following physiological manifestations in a patient should be attributed to the main symptoms of gastric cardia insufficiency:
- The periodic appearance of belching, as mentioned above.
- Involuntary regurgitation of both gastric juice and digested food. Especially often this happens with a sharp change of position (sitting, lying, tilting).
- The patient experiences a sharp or aching pain in the area of the esophagus that occurs when swallowing.
- The presence of heartburn.
- Difficulty eating due to cramping of the esophagus.
- With cardia insufficiency, the patient feels an improvement in lying position. In a standing position, the pain becomes more intense.
However, the above symptomatic manifestations are not enough for an unambiguous and accurate diagnosis of cardia failure, so it is necessary to conduct multiple and thorough analyzes. Firstly, for accurate diagnosis, radiography is recommended with an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. The person during the analysis should be in a horizontal position. The general picture is given by a study using ultrasound, as well as a parallel esophagoscopic examination, which makes it possible to clarify the diagnosis. This method is based on measuring pressure in the esophagus.
Classification
The degrees of gastric cardia failure are as follows:
First one. As a rule, at this stage, the sphincter does not close completely not every time after eating, but with a certain frequency. The gap due to defective closure is one third of the entire diameter of the esophagus. It is worth mentioning that the patient does not feel any discomfort. Most often, at the first stage of the patient’s disease, only frequent burps with a pronounced unpleasant odor are disturbing.
The second one. At the next stage, cardia failure is much stronger. The resulting gap is equal to half the diameter of the esophagus. The patient is tormented by heartburn and severe pain, added to the belching.
The third. This is the final, most severe degree of the disease. In this case, the valve does not close at all. In this case, the formation of ulcers and erosion is often observed, an inflammatory process is noted. The patient suffers from constant heartburn, frequent belching and nausea. Also, against the background of inflammation, the temperature rises, but to a small extent.
Diagnostics
There is a fairly extensive list of ways to detect cardiac insufficiency of the stomach:
- Gastrofibroscopy. The essence of this method is that a tube descends into the stomach - a probe that allows you to show whether there is a disease or not.
- Determination of acid of gastric juice. To determine this indicator, apply the method of fractal sounding (use a rubber tube), aspirate the gastric juice and examine it in the laboratory, drawing the appropriate conclusions.
- Diagnostics using methyl blue. The patient’s stomach is treated with dye using an endoscope, and then the doctor examines with the same device.
- Endoscopy Diagnostics is carried out according to the following scheme: the patient swallows a fiber optic tube, at the end of which a small camera and a light source are located. Thanks to the device, the doctor is able to assess the condition of the affected structures and choose the most suitable treatment method.
- Gastrofibroscopy. The patient swallows a flexible gastroscope with wave optics. The procedure is performed on an empty stomach and with the introduction of the necessary solutions into the body.
Treatment
There is a fairly extensive list of methods for treating cardiac insufficiency of the stomach, including:
- Medication method.
- Surgical method.
- Ethnoscience.
Of course, each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Surgical intervention
The most effective method of treating gastric cardia insufficiency is surgery. It is carried out only in exceptional cases: with organic insufficiency of the cardia, hernia, neglect of the disease itself. Also, a surgical operation can be performed after a previous intervention, which gave complications.
If the opening of the ring is complete, then suturing of the muscles is carried out without fail. This technique is used when there is no hope of treatment in other ways.
Surgery for such a disease is always planned, because insufficiency of the cardia of the stomach does not pose a threat to human life, but only causes discomfort in everyday life.
Drug treatment
It is worth considering that the main task of medicines is not to eliminate the disease itself or its symptoms, but to eliminate the causes. Thus, drugs increase the sphincter tone, so that nothing gets from the stomach into the esophagus. From the list of effective drugs, the following should be highlighted:
- Perinorm. The price of the medicine is one hundred seventy nine rubles. Sold in the form of a solution for intramuscular administration.
- "Metamol". You can buy it at a price of three hundred rubles. Sold in pill form.
- "Raglan". Exists in the form of tablets, but there is also a solution. You can buy the tool for three hundred rubles.
- Metoclopramide. This drug is offered for eighty-two rubles. Apply parenterally - intramuscularly. It is also quite often prescribed as an anesthetic.
Treatment with folk remedies
Some patients prefer to use traditional medicine, in the arsenal of which there is a fairly extensive list of recipes that can reduce the manifestation of the symptoms of this disease, such as heartburn, belching, pain. The most popular tools are listed in the following list.
- Tincture of St. John's wort, Valerian and motherwort. The above herbs must be taken in equal proportions. A tablespoon of the mixture pour 1 cup boiling water. Wrap and leave to infuse. Further, when the product cools down, strain and drink during the day, adding honey to taste (there is no specific dose).
- Plantain juice. Take a teaspoon of the product before each meal.
- Dandelion Oil Gather the flowers (along with the pedicels) of dandelions in sunny weather, mash them well, put them in a jar and fill with fresh oil. Close the neck with gauze. Take out the can in the sun. Insist the remedy for 21 days. After this, strain the contents of the can and refrigerate. Take a spoonful three times a day.
- Peppermint. Alcohol tincture of peppermint is considered to be quite effective. To prepare it, take five hundred milliliters of 75% alcohol per hundred grams of mint. Insist for fourteen days. To use in the form of drops (20 pieces per 50 ml of water).
Diet
With constant irritation of the walls of the esophagus with chemically active gastric juice, inflammation of its mucous membranes almost always occurs, called esophagitis in medicine. The insufficiency of the cardia of the stomach is directly “guilty” of its occurrence. There is a fairly extensive list of products that should be discarded in order to avoid additional irritation of the esophagus mucosa. This list includes:
- Spicy spices and spices (cinnamon, turmeric, pepper).
- Spicy sauces and ketchups (chili sauce, adjika).
- Alcoholic beverages (vodka, wine, beer).
- Carbonated drinks (soft drinks and others).
- Strong cocktails (punch).
- Smoked meats (meat rolls, ham).
- Marinades.
- Pickles.
- Coffee.
- Strong tea.
- Semi-finished products.
- All kinds of sausages.
It is also worth considering that the diet for cardiac insufficiency of the stomach involves eating at least five times a day in small portions. This is due to the fact that with small "doses" the pressure inside the stomach decreases markedly. It is advisable that the patient take food warm, and not too hot or cold. After eating, it is strictly forbidden to lift any weights and make sharp inclines, since the above actions increase intragastric pressure, which the patient should try to avoid. Do not forget that eating three hours before bedtime is far from the best idea for such an illness. Doctors advise to drink a glass of kefir or eat a sweet fruit half an hour before bedtime.
Prevention
The main preventive measures of insufficiency of the cardia of the stomach include proper nutrition. It is important to remember the main rules:
- To eat in small portions, but regularly, at least 5 times a day.
- To reduce the increased acidity of the stomach and the removal of toxins, doctors recommend drinking a glass of water on an empty stomach.
- Stop eating fried, spicy and smoked foods.
- Avoid overeating and nightly snacks.
- Reduce salt intake.
- Exclude alcoholic, carbonated drinks, as well as tea and coffee (due to caffeine content).
- More fresh vegetables and fruits rich in dietary fiber should appear in the diet.
It is necessary to pay attention to lifestyle:
- Do not eat food while lying on your back.
- Smoking is a common cause of the disease, so you need to get rid of this habit.
- It is advisable to control your weight.
- Avoid stress, as they are also a provocateur of the described ailment.
- “Movement is life” - this also applies to the prevention of gastrointestinal diseases, therefore it is necessary to move more and avoid a sedentary lifestyle.
We told what it is - insufficiency of the cardia of the stomach, how to deal with this disease, how to avoid it. The patient should monitor his health and listen to the signals of the body.