Despite the scene in Friends where Joey develops an agonizing hernia, not all hernias are painful. A hiatal hernia, which affects 50 percent of adults over age 50, won’t often directly cause pain. But ...

A hiatal hernia can increase the risk of GERD, as the stomach’s upper part pushes into the chest cavity, hindering proper food passage and diaphragm pressure on the esophagus, which can lead to ...

If you frequently get uncomfortable heartburn or feel very full after eating meals and are blaming it on your food, you may be in the dark. Bloating, burning sensation in the chest and abdomen may be ...

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 74-year-old woman who is active and healthy. I recently had an endoscopy, and the findings were a hiatal hernia of about 5 centimeters with some inflammation. I have been having ...

A hiatal hernia occurs when a small portion of the stomach pushes upward through the diaphragm, a sheetlike muscle that separates the lungs from the abdomen. Usually this doesn't cause any symptoms, ...

BETHESDA, Md. (August 30, 2005) – Even the U.S. National Institutes of Health doesn't know what causes gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. And NIH's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive ...