Attention – Is It Heartburn or Heart Attack?
Heartburn vs Heart Attack
Heartburn or the pain due to heartburn in no way is related to the heart. Many people have confusion regarding this type of pain due to the location from which the pain manifests. The acid produced by the stomach splashes back into the food pipe where it irritates the acid-sensitive nerves of the food pipe. This is the reason why people with acid reflux experience chest pain. The pain is like a burning sensation.
Other Symptoms of Heartburn
- Burning pain just above the stomach and below the chest
- Burning sensation in the food pipe
- Nausea
- Bloating
- Belching
Heartburn vs Heart Attack
Remember! Heartburn is not a disease, rather it is a symptom – whereas chest pain due to heart attack is a disease and medical emergency. Sometimes, it becomes very difficult for even experienced medical professionals and general physicians to differentiate between chest pain due to heart attack and heartburn symptoms. The differences are so subtle and the symptoms are so similar that they may easily go unnoticed quite often.
How to differentiate heart attack pain from heartburn pain?
Chest Pain Due to Heartburn: Many people get confused because both the heart attack pain and heartburn pain look similar. Heartburn pain is caused by stomach acid upward movement into the food pipe. The pain due to heartburn or acid reflux is mostly felt in the LOWER CHEST and UPPER ABDOMEN (BELLY).
Chest pain due to heart attack: It is mostly pressurizing and squeezing. It is often associated with a feeling of heaviness in the chest. Some people may feel as if a heavy object is sitting on the chest.
Heartburn vs Heart Attack – main differences between the symptoms
Heartburn may get worse after eating and lying down, but the pain and discomfort can be relieved by medicines that reduce acid levels in the stomach. Acid reflux doesn’t cause breathlessness but can cause belching, burping, and bloating – whereas heart attack doesn’t cause these symptoms, but causes breathlessness.
However, a majority of women experiencing a heart attack do not experience chest pain – instead, they feel abdominal pain. Learn more about the differences in heart attack symptoms between men and women.
Remember – a heart attack is a medical emergency condition – one should not wait and ponder regarding pain and doubt whether the pain is due to a heart attack – rather call for emergency medical help. If severe chest pain happens to be a heart attack, then seeking prompt medical care immediately can be lifesaving.
What you should do if you experience chest pain?
Irrespective of the cause of chest pain whether it is assumed to be due to heartburn or indigestion or any other cause, one must seek immediate medical help. One must straightaway call a doctor if the pain is sudden, severe squeezing, pressurizing, and it is accompanied by a sudden burst of sweat, dizziness, extreme weakness, and cold hand and feet.
