14. Hiatal Hernia and the Team: The Link with Other Digestive Disorders
Though hiatal hernias have their distinct set of symptoms and challenges, they aren’t an isolated phenomenon in the world of gastrointestinal troubles. There exists a curious interplay between this hernia and other digestive disorders.
For starters, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a frequent bedfellow of hiatal hernias. The presence of a hernia can exacerbate the reflux of stomach acid, leading to the painful burning sensation that GERD sufferers are all too familiar with. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or gastroparesis have shown a mysterious correlation. It’s not that they cause hernias, but their co-existence can complicate diagnoses and management.
Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rarer condition, can also interplay. This syndrome leads to the overproduction of stomach acid, which when combined with a hernia, can be quite the double-whammy. (14)
