Complications (2)
- Esophageal cancer
- Barrett's esophagus
Lifestyle and home remedies (1)
- Weight-loss goals: 10 tips for success
Prevention (1)
- Bloating, belching and intestinal gas: How to avoid them
Risk factors (1)
- GERD
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Heartburn or chest pain: When is it heart attack?
Heartburn and chest pain are very different but can feel very much the same. Learn the difference and when to seek medical help.
By Mayo Clinic staffYou've just eaten a big meal and feel a burning sensation in your chest. Heartburn, right? Probably, but there's a chance the chest pain is a warning sign of a heart attack.
Learning to tell the difference between heartburn and something more serious may be a matter of life and death. Here's what you need to know.
What is heartburn?
Heartburn isn't a disease. It's a symptom. Usually it occurs after eating or while lying down or bending over. You'll notice a burning sensation in your chest that may start in your upper abdomen and radiate all the way to your neck. Heartburn can be brief or continue for a few hours. Sometimes, stomach acid that backs up into the esophagus can leave a sour taste in your mouth — especially when you're lying down.
Normally, digestive acid in your stomach is kept from backing up into your esophagus by the lower esophageal sphincter. This ring of muscle functions as a valve, which opens only as you swallow. But sometimes the valve relaxes or weakens, allowing stomach acid to flow back into your esophagus.
Pressure on the sphincter muscle from excess weight, overeating or lying down too soon after a meal may cause it to open slightly. Certain foods, as well as too much alcohol or caffeine, can relax the sphincter or increase production of stomach acid.
Frequent, persistent heartburn may indicate a more serious condition called acid reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD — the chronic regurgitation of acid from your stomach into your lower esophagus. Long-term GERD can lead to Barrett's esophagus, a condition in which the color and composition of the cells lining the lower esophagus change because of repeated exposure to stomach acid. Barrett's esophagus is a risk factor for esophageal cancer.
Heartburn can also be caused by an inflamed stomach lining (gastritis), a peptic ulcer or a hiatal hernia, when part of the stomach pushes into the chest.
Can other digestive symptoms cause chest pain?
Heartburn isn't the only digestive symptom that can cause chest pain. A muscle spasm in your esophagus may have the same effect. The pain of a gallbladder attack also can spread to your chest. You may notice nausea and an intense, steady ache in the upper middle or upper right abdomen — especially after a fatty meal. The pain may shift to your shoulders, neck or arms.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Heartburn. American Gastroenterological Association. http://www.gastro.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=848. Accessed March 8, 2009.
- Heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest warning signs. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux (GER), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gerd/. Accessed March 24, 2009.
- Castell D. Chest pain of esophageal origin. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 8, 2009.
- Meisel JL. Differential diagnosis of chest pain in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 24, 2009.
