Heartburn vs. Heart Attack: How to Spot the Critical Differences

Have you ever felt a sudden, intense chest pain and wondered if it was a heart attack or just heartburn? It’s natural for you to get confused between heartburn and heart attacks because their symptoms can overlap. For instance, both these medical conditions cause chest pain.  

However, while heartburn can cause discomfort, a heart attack can be life-threatening and requires immediate action. So, how to differentiate between these two? This article will explore some ways to inform you about the differences between heartburn and heart attack.

What is Heartburn?

Heartburn is a symptom rather than a disease. It’s characterised by the sensation, usually of irritation and burning pain, that occurs when stomach acid flows back into your food pipe- a condition called acid reflux.  

Contrary to its name, heartburn is not related to your heart in any way. The name is derived from where the symptoms originate, in the chest. When suffering from heartburn, you might typically feel a burning sensation in your chest, usually triggered by certain foods, eating habits, or lying down after a meal.

Symptoms of Heartburn

Heartburn symptoms often mimic those of a heart attack, making people confused between the two. Here outlined are some common symptoms of heartburn: 

• Burning sensation in the chest 
  
• Bitter or acidic taste in the mouth 
  
• Bloating and discomfort 
  
• Difficulty swallowing 
  
• Pain in the chest that gets worse when lying down or after eating 
  
• Nausea  
  

If the stomach acid reaches higher up to the back of your mouth, you may experience a sore throat or bad breath. 

What is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, is an event usually caused by disease in your coronary arteries that supply blood to your heart. The buildup of plaque in your arteries can block the flow of blood to a part of your heart, leading to damage or death of heart muscle. 

When your heart stops, it’s called cardiac arrest- a heart condition wherein the person is not responsive and has no pulse.  

Heart attacks are a medical emergency and require immediate attention to prevent severe heart damage or even death. Anyone can experience a heart attack due to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, excess weight, too much smoking, or a family history of heart disease.  

Symptoms of a Heart Attack

The symptoms of a heart attack can vary from person to person and can be mild or severe. Some people might not even experience any symptoms.  

Here are some symptoms of heart attack you shouldn’t ignore: 

• Chest pain or discomfort that feels like heaviness, pressure, fullness, squeezing, aching, or tightness 
  
• Pain in other parts of the body, such as neck, back, jaw, shoulders, or arms 
  
• Chest pain that goes away for a few minutes but comes back 
  
• Shortness of breath 
  
• Cold sweats 
  
• Dizziness or light headedness 
  
• Nausea or vomiting 
  
• Lacking energy or feeling very tired

Knowing the Differences Between Heartburn and Heart Attack

Despite similarities in some symptoms, heartburn and heart attacks are completely different health conditions. Here’s how you can tell them apart:

Treatment for Heartburn

Now that heartburn is a symptom but not a health condition itself, your treatment is determined based on the underlying cause. You can treat heartburn with the following lifestyle changes and over-the-counter medications: 

In case of mild or occasional heartburn, you can take antacids to neutralise stomach acid and relieve the symptoms quickly. 

• Avoid consuming trigger foods, like alcohol, caffeine, or spicy foods. 
  
• Also, try to eat smaller, more frequent meals 
  
• Don’t lie down immediately after eating 
  
• Maintain a healthy weight 
  
• Quit smoking if it’s triggering heartburn. 
  

If heartburn still persists despite these measures, you should see your doctor for further evaluation.

Treatment for Heart Attack

Whenever you or someone you know experience the symptoms of heart attacks, you must act fast to overcome this life-threatening medical condition. Here are the steps you must take: 

• Chew aspirin or other prescribed medication to stop the clotting of blood and limit heart damage. 
  
• You can take nitro-glycerine to improve your blood flow if your doctor advises it. 
  
• You can try oxygen therapy. 
  
• Also, since heart attacks are a medical emergency, call emergency services right away to get professional help. 
  

Emergency doctors might perform the following medical procedures: 

• Percutaneous coronary intervention: During this procedure, your arteries are opened mechanically by threading a small catheter through a blood vessel. Your doctor will guide the catheter to your heart and use dye to highlight the blockages. Lastly, a balloon is used to widen the arrowed artery. 
  
• Stenting: When performing a percutaneous coronary intervention procedure, your doctor might leave a mesh tube- stent in place to keep the blocked vessel open. In addition to having the stent, doctors prescribe some medications to prevent complications, like blood clotting.  
  
• Coronary artery bypass grafting: In this surgery, your surgeon will graft a new blood vessel from your body’s other part to bypass the blocked artery. 
  
• Heart-healthy lifestyle choices: After you experience a heart attack, you should have a heart-healthy diet, quit smoking, exercise regularly, avoid getting stressed, and maintain a healthy weight. 

All-in-All

Heartburns and heart attacks can cause the same symptoms, like chest pain, chest discomfort, or nausea. But a heart attack can do much more to your body than a heartburn, including death. Knowing how to tell the differences between these two can help you take the appropriate treatment approach.