Question: What are the symptoms of a hiatal hernia?
Answer: About 50% of all people with hiatal hernias do not have any symptoms.
For the other approximate 50% of individuals with hiatal hernias who do have symptoms, the following may occur:
- Heartburn (which is worse when bending over or lying down shortly after eating)
- Regurgitation (backflow of stomach contents into the back of the throat
- Vomiting
- Gastric reflux (backflow of stomach contents into the esophagus)
- A sour or bitter taste in the mouth
- Frequent belching
- Frequent hiccups
- Chest pain radiating from below the breastbone (the sternum)
- Feeling of pressure in the chest
- A bloated feeling after eating
- Abdominal discomfort
- Abdominal pressure, especially soon after eating
- Discomfort or pain in the stomach
- Discomfort or pain in the esophagus
- Gas
- Unexplained coughing
- Difficulty swallowing
