What You Need to Know about the Cardiac Sphincter
It’s a part of the digestive system that we never even think about until something goes wrong; the cardiac sphincter. Those who suffer from GERD and acid reflux think about it often, however, as the culprit behind their discomfort.
Every day, we eat freely; rarely giving any thought to the process of digesting the food and how it actually happens. Our digestive system is quite complex; a continuous methodic process of our internal organs working synergistically to ensure that the nutrients from the food are distributed properly in our body, and everything that is not needed is eliminated. It all begins with our mouth. Food enters the mouth, where our teeth and saliva start the digestive process by breaking the food into smaller particles. When we swallow, the muscles in our throat push the food downward into the esophagus. Before entering the stomach, the partially broken down food pieces must pass through the cardiac sphincter; a circular ring of muscle that tightens and relaxes as the need arises. It opens to allow the food matter into the stomach, then closes behind it to ensure that it cannot rise back up into the esophagus. Once in the stomach, powerful muscles combine with gastric acid produced in the lining of the stomach walls to continue the digestive process; reducing the food matter to a pulpy goo that will then go on to the small and then the large intestine.
In some people, the process goes wrong. Instead of the sphincter muscle opening and then closing after food is admitted into the stomach, the muscle stays relaxed and open. This allows food and stomach acids to travel back up into the esophagus, wear the muscles of its walls become irritated and inflamed from the caustic. Food particles that are carried back up the esophagus encounter gravity, which traps the partially digested food midway and causes pain to the individual. Sometimes after eating a large meal, the individual is motivated to lie down to rest. When this happens, the recently swallowed food presses against the now closed cardiac sphincter. Pressure of this type can cause the sphincter to weaken over time, as will the diaphragm. Repeated vomiting can also affect the effectively of the muscle. In its damaged state, the muscle is no longer able to fully close after food is deposited into the stomach, causing chronic issues. Over time, the lining of the esophagus deteriorates; a condition that is called acid reflux.
There are several conditions that are due to an incompetent cardiac sphincter. One, referred to as GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is caused when the sphincter refuses to close and stomach acid backs up into the esophagus. Inflammation, followed by ulceration and scarring, create great discomfort. Cardiospasm is a condition that occurs when the sphincter does not open. The esophagus continues to propel the food downward until finally the food passes through. Barrett’s esophagus, a more complicated version of GERD, develops when the cellular walls undergo changes in response to the acid; in some cases, this can lead to adenocarcinoma.
There are actually two sphincter muscles that are part of the digestive process. The other is called the pyloris sphincter, through which the still partially digested food exits the stomach. Both sphincter muscles get their names from their location; the fundus or the upper end of the stomach is positioned next to the heart, thereby giving the name of the cardiac sphincter. The body of the stomach is next, with the lower or pyloric portion underneath.
Giving more thought to the processes our bodies continually perform as we eat should give us more respect and consideration for our bodies. Once problems arise, we often wish we had taken better care of these delicate systems.