You’re probably all too familiar with that burning sensation in the middle of your chest, maybe radiating upward, maybe causing the sensation of a bit of food or drink backing up into your mouth.

The symptoms can be even harder to deal with when you’re trying your best to keep them at bay, but they keep coming back or getting worse. Patricia L. Raymond, M.D., an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, sees this often. “Patients tell me they had horrible heartburn but got it under good control, and now they’re dismayed because they’re continuing on their medications but the heartburn has gotten worse—it may be more frequent, or they may have [new] symptoms, like food starting to halt in their throat.”

One possible explanation for worsening heartburn symptoms: gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Heartburn is the most common sign of GERD, in which the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a muscle at the bottom of the esophagus, doesn’t do what it’s supposed to—namely, prevent food and stomach juices from coming back up into the esophagus.

What to Tell Your Doctor

If your heartburn symptoms are happening more often and/or making you uncomfortable, be prepared to tell your physician the following:

• What brings on your symptoms and what alleviates them
• What medications you’re currently taking
• Whether you’re having any trouble swallowing
• If your reflux is waking you up at night

“Any time you have nighttime symptoms, that increases your risk of esophageal cancer by 7.7 times,” adds Raymond. Most important is working with your doctor to make sure that stomach acid doesn’t keep backing up into your esophagus. When that happens, it can cause damage and inflammation—called esophagitis—and lead to bleeding, ulcers or a narrowing of the esophagus. These, in turn, increase your risk for Barrett’s esophagus, a condition in which the color and composition of cells lining the lower esophagus change due to repeated exposure to stomach acid. It slightly increases your risk of esophageal cancer, a type that’s currently on the rise. Keep in mind, though, that the great majority of people with Barrett’s esophagus don’t go on to develop esophageal cancer.

With this information, your doctor can find ways to help you to better control the pain burn and discomfort and begin to rule out anything more serious. “I like to check to see if heartburn is damaging other organs and find out if a patient is experiencing respiratory problems, such as a cough that’s not going away, hoarseness or a recurrence of asthma,” says Raymond. If your dentist notices that your teeth are eroding—the result of acid backing up into your mouth—that’s another reason to seek medical advice to better control your heartburn symptoms.

The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis or recommended treatments. For severe heartburn or heartburn that persists after trying over-the-counter treatment or lifestyle modifications, visit your doctor to determine the right treatment for you. See the Terms and Conditions for more information.