Differentiating between chest pain caused by heartburn and cardiovascular disease.

Heartburn often occurs at night, and the pain is more intense than during the day, making it easy to confuse with angina or a heart attack.

Among those who suffer from heartburn, about three-quarters of cases occur at night, and the pain is more intense then compared to cases that occur at other times of the day. Therefore, heartburn is easily confused with angina or myocardial infarction.

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

Easily confused

In fact, it's difficult to distinguish between chest pain caused by heartburn and a heart attack, especially after eating. Heartburn, angina, and heart attacks have quite similar symptoms, so sometimes even doctors find it difficult to differentiate them based solely on physical examination and medical history. Therefore, when experiencing chest pain, it's crucial to seek immediate medical attention for examination, diagnosis, and specialized tests to rule out a heart attack.

Differentiating between chest pain caused by heartburn and cardiovascular disease.

Heartburn, which causes discomfort or chest pain, is due to stomach acid moving from the stomach up into the esophagus and manifests by a typical symptom such as: a burning sensation in the upper abdomen that then moves up to the chest, often occurring after eating or when lying down or bending over, and can wake the patient up, especially if eating has occurred within 2 hours before bedtime.

Chest pain usually subsides with the use of antacids. However, these symptoms are also common in myocardial infarction (heart attack), but a heart attack occurs suddenly, causing severe chest pain and shortness of breath, often related to exertion. Typical symptoms of a heart attack include a feeling of tightness or pain in the chest and arm, which may radiate to the neck, jaw, or back; nausea, bloating, heartburn or abdominal pain; shortness of breath; cold sweats; fatigue; and sudden dizziness.

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

The difference between chest pain caused by a heart attack and gastrointestinal diseases is that cardiovascular diseases are more common in people over 50, especially those with one or more co-existing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, or being overweight. Gastrointestinal diseases can also cause chest pain, but the specific characteristics vary depending on the type of disease. For example, pain in gallbladder disease may radiate to the chest, but patients often experience vomiting, epigastric or right hypochondriac pain, pain that occurs after fatty meals, and pain that may radiate to the shoulder, neck, or arm.

How can we tell them apart?

To differentiate heartburn from cardiovascular disease, in addition to pain, it's necessary to consider their distinct symptoms:

Chest pain due to heartburn occurs when stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus, and the severity of the pain varies from person to person, but most experience the following symptoms:

- A burning sensation in the chest, just behind the sternum, usually appears after eating and lasts from a few minutes to a few hours.

- A burning sensation in the throat, or feeling of hot, acidic, sour, or salty fluid in the throat.

- Patients experience difficulty swallowing, feeling as if food is stuck in their chest or throat.

Heartburn can cause persistent coughing, sore throat, or chronic hoarseness.

- The pain subsides quickly when antacids are used.

- There were no signs of cold sweats during the pain.

However, the pain from a heart attack and the pain from severe heartburn are difficult to distinguish, so separate tests are needed to diagnose whether a heart attack is occurring. Furthermore, because both have very similar symptoms and signs, especially in older adults and overweight individuals.

In addition to pain, cardiovascular diseases also present with several typical symptoms such as:

Symptoms include a feeling of fullness in the stomach, cramping, slight heaviness in the chest, or frequent pain in the center of the chest.

A feeling of tightness in the chest area.

Sudden and progressively worsening chest pain.

The patient felt dizzy.

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

The pain usually responds quickly to nitroglycerin.

The patient is experiencing shortness of breath.

Cold sweats often occur during pain.

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

According to songkhoe.vn