Sample this: More than five million people with chest pain are admitted to hospital emergency departments each year. It is estimated that over half of these patients suffer from what is known as noncardiac chest pain (NCCP). Many of these patients, up to 60 percent, will ultimately be diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) as the cause of this NCCP
- International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
Many times people often confuse heartburn with heart attack. This is because the symptoms displayed by both are the same i.e. pain in the chest area. In fact, the pain caused by an impending heart attack and the pain triggered by a severe heartburn is so strikingly similar in nature that doctors have to use hi-tech equipments to determine the exact cause of the pain.
So what is heart attack? Heart attack can be defined as the death of the heart muscle due to the stoppage of the blood flow. The stoppage can be caused due to a blockage of the coronary artery. The coronary artery is responsible for carrying the blood to the heart. Its blockage results in the halt of blood supply to the heart and leads to its death.
Heartburn is caused due to the malfunctioning of the lower esophageal sphincter. The lower esophageal sphincter is a lump of muscle situated between the esophagus and the stomach. It acts like a non–return valve. It allows the passage of the food from the esophagus into the stomach. It then shuts tightly to prevent the backflow of the stomach content into the esophagus. When the lower esophageal sphincter fails to shut tightly, it leads to a reflux of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus. The acidic content irritates the esophagus, and gives the feeling of heartburn. This condition is termed as acid reflux.
Though pain is common in both heart attack and heartburn, there are other symptoms, which can help in distinguishing a heart attack from heartburn. Heartburn gives the feeling of burning in the breastbone. A burning feeling is absent in case of an impending hear attack. In most cases, the pain experienced in heartburn does not spread to other body parts such as the shoulders, neck or arms. It does so in the case of a heart attack. The pain also spreads to the jaw and the back if it is signaling a heart attack. Sweating, dizziness and shortness of breath also signal the arrival of a heart attack. However, none of the above mentioned symptoms are observed if the pain is due to acid reflux or heartburn.
Pain is thus experienced in case of both heart attack and heartburn. Immediate medical attention should be sought so as to prevent a regret later.