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Hiatal hernias can be asymptomatic, but larger ones can cause chest pain, heartburn, nausea, and difficulty breathing. Treatment may involve medication or surgery. In rare cases, large hernias can even lead to heart problems.
People don’t always develop hiatal hernia symptoms. In fact, a person with this condition may be completely unaware of it, unless a doctor discovers it by accident while treating them for another condition. This is often the case when a hiatus hernia is small. Sometimes, however, larger hiatal hernias cause symptoms. Symptoms of a larger hiatal hernia include chest pain, heartburn, and nausea.
A hiatal hernia is a condition in which a person’s stomach pushes into the opening in the diaphragm through which the esophagus passes to reach the stomach. Often, this condition causes no noticeable symptoms for the patient. In the case of a small hiatal hernia, a person may have it for some time without knowing anything is wrong. Sometimes, however, doctors discover these small hernias when examining or treating patients for other conditions. If a hiatal hernia is small and not causing health problems, a doctor may not recommend treatment for it.
Sometimes people develop hiatal hernia symptoms. In the vast majority of these cases, the symptoms involve the digestive tract. For example, a person with this condition may develop heartburn and, in some cases, may also suffer from spasms of the esophagus. Sometimes a person with this condition may also suffer from reflux, which occurs when stomach contents move back into the patient’s esophagus. Frequent belching, coughing, hiccups, and swallowing problems can also develop when a person has a hiatal hernia. Chest pain, nausea, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, and bloating may also occur.
Less often, hiatal hernia symptoms may include difficulty breathing. This can occur when the hernia interferes with the normal movement of the patient’s diaphragm muscles. The lungs may have difficulty inflating fully when this occurs.
In extremely rare cases, a person with an exceptionally large hiatal hernia can even develop heart problems. This occurs when the hiatal hernia presses against the heart. Sometimes pressure, especially when combined with gas pressure, can contribute to the development of degenerative heart disease. Over time, this pressure can increase the affected person’s risk of having a heart attack.
If a person has no hiatal hernia symptoms, they likely won’t need treatment. In the event that symptoms develop, however, a doctor may recommend medications that affect stomach acid production to relieve heartburn and related symptoms. In severe cases, surgical treatment may be required.
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