Bile reflux signs and symptoms include: Upper abdominal pain that may be severe. Frequent heartburn — a burning sensation in your chest that sometimes spreads to your throat, along with a sour taste in your mouth. Nausea.

The presence of small amounts of bile in the stomach is relatively common and usually asymptomatic, but excessive refluxed bile causes irritation and inflammation. Bile reflux has been associated with gastric cancer, chemical gastritis and the development of ulcers.

A muscle at the bottom of the esophagus opens to let food from the bottom of the esophagus into the stomach. And it closes to keep food in the stomach. This muscle is called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). When your LES relaxes too often or for too long, acid backs up into your esophagus.

Bile is not acid. It’s an alkaline fluid consisting of bile salts, bile pigments, cholesterol and lecithin. It is produced by the liver, stored in the gallbladder and released intermittently into the duodenum, the upper part of the small intestine, when needed to digest fat.

Lifestyle and home remedies

1. Stop smoking. Smoking increases the production of stomach acid and dries up saliva, which helps protect the esophagus.
2. Eat smaller meals.
3. Stay upright after eating.
4. Limit fatty foods.
5. Avoid problem foods and beverages.
6. Limit or avoid alcohol.
7. Lose excess weight.
8. Raise your bed.

Answer: Bile reflux involves fluid from the small intestine flowing into the stomach and esophagus. Acid reflux is backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus. These conditions are often related, and sometimes differentiating between the two can be difficult.

This serious condition can occur when long-term exposure to stomach acid, or to acid and bile, damages tissue in the lower esophagus. The damaged esophageal cells have an increased risk of becoming cancerous. Animal studies have also linked bile reflux to Barrett’s esophagus. Esophageal cancer.

A new study published in the Annals of Surgery shows that bile – a digestive fluid that leaks backwards from the stomach into the esophagus along with acid in patients with GERD – plays a critical and previously unrecognized role in the development of Barrett’s esophagus.

Therefore, the signs and symptoms of both bile reflux and acid reflux are similar. The following are some of the signs and symptoms that may signal a bile reflux: Heartburn: A burning sensation in the chest or throat is a symptom of acid reflux, which may be accompanied by bile reflux.

Bile reflux gastritis has been linked to stomach cancer. The combination of bile and acid reflux also increases the risk of the following complications: GERD. This condition is most often due to excess acid. Although bile has been implicated, its importance in gastric acid reflux is controversial.