Symptoms of High Hernia

What Is a High Hernia?

A high hernia is more commonly known as a hiatal hernia. These hernias are an abnormality by which part of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm into the chest cavity. Normally the esophagus is a tube that passes through the chest, down through the diaphragm into the stomach below. The opening in the diaphragm that allows the esophagus to pass is known as the esophageal hiatus. People who have hiatal hernias have overly large esophageal hiatuses through which the top of the stomach slips. This is something that can occur naturally and is most often seen in infants, though it can develop in adults as time passes.

What Are the Symptoms of a High Hernia?

In many people, the hiatal hernia is unnoticed as the stomach passes up through the esophageal hiatus and then back down without incident. They are very difficult to diagnose as they don't cause pain, even in those people whose hiatal hernias are stuck above the diaphragm and unable to go back down. Most of the time they are misdiagnosed as acid reflux disease. The diaphragm plays a large part in keeping acid in the stomach, so if the top of the stomach is placed above the diaphragm, there's not much to keep the stomach acid from flowing upward. In other words, symptoms of hiatal hernias are frequent or chronic heartburn, regurgitation and nausea.

What Is the Treatment of a High Hernia?

Treatment of hiatal hernias causing noticeable symptoms requires surgery. The stomach is pulled back down through the esophageal hiatus. The esophageal hiatus is shrunk down to closely hug the esophagus and sewn or stapled in place, connected to the diaphragm and the esophagus, thus preventing the stomach from being able to rise back up.