What Are The Symptoms Of Hiatal Hernia?
Hiatal hernias are known as “great mimics†because their symptoms mimic those of
many other disorders. For instance, a severe pain in the chest may be mistaken for
a heart attack or a severe pain in the stomach can be confused with an ulcer.
As discussed above, a weak LES can cause acidic stomach contents to slosh back into
the esophagus. This can lead to spasms in the esophagus, heartburn and inflammation
of the esophageal tube, and other symptoms associated with GERD such as
- Dry mouth
- Irritation, tenderness and bleeding of gums
- Bad breath
- Bloating after meals
- Regurgitation of acidic contents
- Nausea
- Bitter taste in the mouth
Other more severe symptoms of hiatal hernia are:
- Vomiting blood and black stools (a sign of bleeding due to an ulcer in the stomach
or in the esophagus) Gassiness after meals
- Difficulty swallowing (possibly due to constriction of the esophagus)
- Unexplained loss of weight
- Discomfort while bending over
- Hoarseness in the voice
- Chronic cough
Shallow breathing is another symptom of a hiatal hernia. During breathing, the diaphragm
muscles pull downwards and expand the chest cavity. This helps the lungs to inflate.
A hiatal hernia will interfere with the diaphragm muscles and restrict their movement.
This will make the person resort to shallow breathing because deep breathing can
cause them discomfort. In particular, the condition is bad for asthmatics and may
make their asthma worse.