Heartburn is the telltale burning in the middle of your chest after a meal. And, it is a common condition. In fact, a 2003 poll discovered that more than 40 percent of all Americans, about 108 million people, experience heartburn at least once a month.*

The cause of pain is stomach acid, the acid that helps to digest your food. Stomach acid flows up into the esophagus, or “food pipe.” Normally when you eat, food travels from your mouth down the esophagus through the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES is the opening to your stomach. It normally opens only when you swallow, allowing food to enter the stomach, and then closes quickly.

If there’s too much acid, or if the LES doesn’t work properly, food and stomach acid can flow up or reflux into the esophagus. Acid reflux irritates the lining of the esophagus and causes heartburn. If the muscles in the stomach don’t continuously work to keep food and acid moving down the digestive tract, the heartburn can worsen.

But heartburn that occurs regularly may be a sign of a more serious condition: gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

* Data on file at Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.