Distinguishing between chest pain caused by heartburn and cardiovascular disease

Heartburn often occurs at night, the pain is also more severe than during the day so it is easily confused with angina or myocardial infarction.

Among people with heartburn, about 3/4 of cases often occur at night and the pain is also more severe than cases that appear at other times of the day. Therefore, heartburn is easily confused with angina, myocardial infarction.

Heartburn is the main symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), characterized by a burning sensation that radiates from the stomach to the chest and throat. Heartburn often occurs after a full meal, when bending over, when trying to lift a heavy object, when lying down, especially lying on your back.

Confusing

In fact, chest pain caused by heartburn or myocardial infarction is difficult to distinguish, especially after eating. Heartburn, angina and myocardial infarction have quite similar symptoms, so sometimes it is difficult for doctors to distinguish them just through examination and medical history. Therefore, when having chest pain, we need to go to a medical facility immediately for examination, diagnosis and some specialized tests to rule out myocardial infarction.

Distinguishing between chest pain due to heartburn and cardiovascular disease.

Heartburn causes discomfort or chest pain due to gastric acid moving from the stomach to the esophagus and is characterized by a typical sign such as: a burning sensation in the epigastric region then moving up to the chest, often occurring after eating or when lying down or bending over, can wake the patient up, especially if they have eaten within 2 hours before going to bed.

Usually, chest pain will be relieved by antacids. However, these signs are also common in myocardial infarction, but myocardial infarction occurs suddenly, causing severe chest pain and shortness of breath, often related to exertion. Typical symptoms of myocardial infarction include a feeling of tightness, pain in the chest and arms, which may spread to the neck, jaw or back, nausea, bloating, heartburn or abdominal pain, shortness of breath, cold sweats, fatigue, sudden dizziness.

The most common sign of a heart attack in both men and women is chest pain or discomfort. But women often have other symptoms such as back pain, jaw pain, shortness of breath, vomiting, and nausea.

The difference between chest pain caused by myocardial infarction and digestive diseases is that cardiovascular diseases are common in people over the age of 50, especially in people with one or more other diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high blood cholesterol, smoking, and being overweight. Digestive diseases cause chest pain, but depending on the type of disease, there are specific characteristics such as pain in gallbladder disease also spreads to the chest, but the patient often vomits a lot, has pain in the epigastric region or right hypochondrium, pain appears after a fatty meal, and pain can spread to the shoulder, neck, or arm.

How to distinguish?

To distinguish heartburn from cardiovascular disease, in addition to pain, it is necessary to rely on their separate manifestations:

Chest pain due to heartburn occurs when stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus. The level of pain varies from person to person, but most have the following symptoms:

- A burning sensation in the chest, just behind the breastbone, often occurring after eating and lasting from a few minutes to a few hours.

- Burning sensation in the throat or feeling of hot, sour or salty acid in the throat.

- The patient feels difficulty swallowing, feels like food is stuck in the chest or throat.

- Heartburn can cause persistent cough, sore throat, or chronic hoarseness.

- When using antacids, the pain is quickly reduced.

- No cold sweat during pain.

However, the pain caused by a heart attack and the pain caused by severe heartburn are difficult to distinguish, so it is necessary to do some separate tests to diagnose whether or not there is a heart attack. In addition, because both have very similar manifestations and signs, especially in the elderly and overweight people.

For cardiovascular disease, in addition to pain, there are also some typical signs such as:

Feeling of fullness, tightness, slight heaviness in the chest or often pain in the middle of the chest.

Feeling of tightness in the chest area.

Sudden and progressive chest pain.

The patient was dizzy.

Pain radiating to the shoulder, neck, back of the jaw or arm.

The pain usually responds quickly to nitroglycerin.

The patient had difficulty breathing.

Often cold sweats during pain.

If you experience prolonged pain or have warning signs of a heart attack, you must go to a medical facility immediately for examination.

According to songkhoe.vn