In my house my grandfather had “lernia” and I thought it was a strange thing that happened to older people.

But no. The hernia (this is the correct name) is what happens in our body every time an internal organ or muscle moves out of its physiological location.

It also happens in the stomach, and then we speak of a hiatal hernia : part of the stomach moves into the “hiatus diaframmaticus”, an opening in the diaphragm (the muscular wall that separates the chest from the abdomen).

Hiatal hernia or stomach hernia: symptoms

Very often the hiatal hernia does not give specific symptoms or particular pains: it turns out to have it only after having done tests to diagnose other pathologies.

There are a number of symptoms that seem negligible but if they appear frequently or at the same time, they must make us suspect the presence of a hiatal hernia:

• difficulty in swallowing
• dry cough , without colds;
• bitter regurgitation ;
• feeling of lump in the throat
• difficulty in breathing ;
• pain from taking hot liquids;
• frequent belching .

Symptoms of a hiatus hernia are often aggravated when you lean forward or lie down or when lifting heavy objects .

Pronounced hiatal hernias can cause more pronounced symptoms :

• gastroesophageal reflux
• burning in the chest
• burning in the throat
• bitter or sour taste in the mouth
• tooth erosion.

During pregnancy, a hiatal hernia may appear for the first time or, if already present, its symptoms may be aggravated.