Heartburn Symptoms And Causes Are Not Always Easy To Pinpoint

You have a burning pain in your chest, it is a symptom of heartburn. It’s only an irritant at first, but then it starts getting worse, and then downright painful. Is it just heartburn, or are you having a more serious problem? Maybe a heart attack!

Don’t feel bad if you don’t know. It’s not always easy to tell. That which we call heartburn can actually be one a variety of conditions, with each of them having similar symptoms – mostly that burning feeling in the chest. So let’s take a closer look at heartburn symptoms, what they are and what causes them.

First, you should know that doctors define three different kinds of heartburn with different symptoms: Acid Reflux, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and Heartburn.

ACID REFLUX SYMPTOMS

An amazing 60 million Americans experience acid reflux at least once a month. The symptoms are the typical feelings of burning pain in your chest, but also include regurgitation. This is not throwing up, but when you can feel liquid backing up into your throat and mouth, sometimes called a ‘wet burp’. A third symptom with Acid Reflux is dyspepsia, which basically means you have an upset stomach. Acid reflux is also characterized by burping, nausea, feeling sick and dizzy and stomach discomfort.

Note that Acid Reflux can occur not just after eating, but after lifting something heavy, or merely when you lie down.

GERD SYMPTOMS

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, does not always entail heartburn, but often does. Absence of burning in the chest, GERD can cause regurgitation and nausea, but also can make you feel like you are having heart pain, which leads some people to fear they are having a heart attack. The pain of GERD can also extend to the back. If you have heartburn which also includes regurgitation, nausea, chest pain, and sometimes  a sore throat and laryngitis, it may be GERD.

HEARTBURN SYMPTOMS

The important thing to know about heartburn is that is can also mimic the feeling of a heart attack in some cases. The primary symptom, of course, is burning in the chest, just behind the breastbone, and a burning throat. Heartburn can also be accompanied by difficulty swallowing, and the feeling that food is sticking in your throat. Finally, heartburn can produce a chronic cough, sore throat and hoarseness.

Heartburn can have other causes than acid rising from the stomach into the esophagus. Another cause is intestinal motility problems.