Heartburn Symptoms: How to Know the Difference Between a Heart Attack and Heartburn

Heartburn is not only a condition but is also a symptom of GERD and acid reflux. However, it is noteworthy that not everyone who has heartburn suffers from acid reflux and not everyone with acid reflux suffers from heartburn. In other words, heartburn may not necessarily exist with acid reflux, but in most cases heartburn is usually a precursor of the latter.

Heartburn may be caused not only by intestinal abnormality but by a number of things. It is a fact that exercise, stress, eating large meals, and even intestinal motility problems may trigger heartburn.

Heartburn is not a dangerous condition. But its symptoms are similar with a heart condition known as angina. Chest pain is a common symptom to both. In treating heartburn, it is important, therefore, to rule out any other conditions that could have caused the symptom.

EKG and exercise stress test are two procedures used to evaluate unexplained chest pain. In most cases, these methods are performed prior to diagnosis of gastrointestinal problems.

But how does heartburn feel like? Most people experience the same heartburn symptoms.

A burning sensation right in the middle of the chest. A sensation felt behind the breastbone usually after a large or meal. It may also occur after lying down, exercise, or a stressful situation.
Unexplained chest pain, usually occurring after eating, lying down, or bending over.
Difficulty in swallowing, or a burning sensation in the throat. It occurs with a sour, hot, or salty-tasting fluid at the throat.
Unusual feeling of having a food “stuck” at the throat.
Hoarseness, sore throat, or chronic cough that comes after heartburn.

A list of your symptoms is all that is needed by your doctor to properly diagnose your condition. While heartburn can be properly diagnosed with a simple Q&A, some doctors may require their patients to undergo special tests to rule out other serious gastrointestinal problems.

These special tests are also performed to monitor the progress of your treatment and even the severity of your condition. Some doctors may also perform some special tests to assess your condition if your symptoms occur with unexplained weight loss or some possible complications of other known gastrointestinal problems.

Unexplained chest pain is one of the top reasons why people are rushed to the emergency room. While it is true that more than half of these patients experience suffer from heart attack, a portion of them actually experience severe heartburn.

More often than not, it is difficult to distinguish an episode of heart attack from severe heartburn. Medical professionals need sophisticated medical tests to determine if the chest pain is caused by a heart attack or severe heartburn. Without these tests, it is difficult, if not impossible, to differentiate between heart attack and severe heartburn as these two conditions often manifest with the same symptoms.

Symptoms common to both heart attack and heartburn is a sudden sharp pain right below or behind the breastbone. A pain, however, that radiates from the chest to the arms or neck is a symptom of angina and not just heartburn. In both cases, the pain usually comes after a large meal, exercise, or even stressful situations. A sudden chest pain that occurs during cold season is usually a symptom of angina.