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Overview
Heartburn, a side effect of acid reflux from the stomach, usually goes hand-in-hand with many other symptoms like abdominal pain, breathing problems and digestive irregularities like diarrhea and intestinal cramps. While the correlation between heartburn and these other symptoms may not always be clear, they are usually treated as part of a bigger digestive problem.
Features
Intestinal cramping and diarrhea are fairly obvious indicators that something is not right in the lower gastrointestinal tract. When these symptoms become chronic, or never fully disappear, a doctor may be able to help diagnose the cause. Often, an imbalance in gut flora, bacterial infection or virus is the culprit, and can be easily treated with drugs and probiotics. When these are ruled out, and particularly when symptoms are coupled with heartburn or other digestive problems, doctors may consider an underlying disorder like irritable bowel syndrome, which often coexists with heartburn and the heartburn-related gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Types
Intestinal cramps and diarrhea associated with heartburn are caused by problems with the digestive tract functioning. Cramping pain can be from ulcers high in the intestinal tract, but is usually related to motility problems. When stool moves through the intestines, gas, bloating and irritation can occur, resulting in pain every time the bowels move. Diarrhea is usually caused by the improper digestion of food at some point in the system, though it can also be related to poor diet. Diarrhea with chunks of undigested food indicates trouble in the stomach, while pale, discolored diarrhea results from excessively fast movement through the intestines. Black or bloody diarrhea is indicative of much more serious conditions, and should be reported to a doctor immediately.
Considerations
Normal, occasional heartburn, cramping and diarrhea occurring around the same time do not necessarily indicate a multiple-disease relationship. Only when the three become prevalent, chronic problems should a correlation be considered. Doctors today look at digestive disorders as part of a shared disease process, as they often come in the same sets of 2 or 3 in many different people. Irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia and gastroesophageal reflux disease are most commonly diagnosed together in a person with many digestive symptoms and no other underlying causes.
Prevention/Solution
Mild cases of heartburn-related diarrhea and intestinal cramps can be treated with natural, homeopathic remedies like peppermint, or with over-the-counter antacids, motility aids and painkillers. Those that have been diagnosed with GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, and other related conditions like IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, often manage their symptoms through dietary changes, proton pump inhibitors, prescription motility drugs and prescription painkillers. Sometimes, many different combinations of drugs, natural remedies and diets must be tested in order to best treat each individual.
Warning
Diarrhea and intestinal cramps are not to be ignored or regarded as benign. Without a known, obvious cause, a person with these symptoms should seriously consider seeing a doctor before beginning any home treatment. While they may be caused by simple heartburn and indigestion, the potential for other problems is huge. In fact, digestive disorders involving symptoms of diarrhea and intestinal cramps can be degenerative if left untreated, and are often misdiagnosed by doctors because there is such a range of possible causes.
