Acid reflux and chest pain can present some form of danger to a heart patient. The chest pains are quite common, some individuals are not aware that what they are suffering is no longer acid reflux and chest pains but already the onset of a heart attack.
Before going any further, let us first identify what acid reflux is and its relation to chest pain.
Acid Reflux - What Causes the Heart Burn or Chest Pains?
Acid Reflux or GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) mainly affects a person’s esophagus. Esophagus to aptly describe it is that passage where the food passes on from the mouth to the stomach, under normal digestion processes. In some instances during the digestion process, the stomach will go into some form of regurgitation.
Regurgitation here means some food were not digested but instead will be moved back up from the stomach to the throat, passing once again the esophagus. However, the regurgitated food gets stuck in this passage causing discomfort in the form of chest pains.
As the regurgitated food remains stuck in the esophagus, the latter now becomes inflamed because some of the acid that was used during the digestion processes is now affecting the lining of the esophagus. The acid being the most harmful substance found in a regurgitated liquid is now causing the person to suffer from GERD, acid reflux or heartburn.
While suffering from acid reflux, chest pains which come as a burning sensation will be felt and can last for a couple of hours. Although in some cases, chest pains aren’t always evident in the sufferer’s condition. Still, the presence of the acid in the esophagus if left untreated or neutralized will eventually result to bleeding ulcers.
Some individuals may choose to lie down as they get to feel the weakening effect of acid reflux and chest pains. However, they should be prevented from doing so since this will only worsen his or her condition. Lying down will present an opportunity for the burning sensation to move up to the throat, leaving the person’s throat dry and parched or even tastes as if the undigested food has reached the throat.
When Heart Attacks are Mistaken for Acid Reflux Chest Pains
Some people may treat acid reflux and chest pains as dismissible and can easily be remedied by antacids. The problem now lies with the similarity between acid reflux – chest pains as against the chest pains that are onsets to a heart attack. Thus, there is the real need to know the underlying differences between these two conditions since the latter could prove to be fatal if ignored.
This could be quite tricky since both heart attacks and acid reflux, may take place right after a sumptuous meal. In fact, it is even possible to have both acid reflux and heart attack simultaneously. While experiencing acid reflux chest pains, the esophagus is now causing some nerves to impair blood flow to the heart.
How to Differentiate Acid Reflux Chest Pains from Chest Pains leading to a Heart Attack
To avoid the dangers of mistaking chest pains leading to heart attacks as mere acid reflux chest pains, persons who are prone to suffer from these ailments should take note of the following distinctions:
The burning sensation or chest pains of acid reflux usually last for 10-12 hours, which means if the chest pain you are suffering is that of a heart attack, you won’t get to last that long. The longer the chest pain in a heart attack sufferer, the more symptoms will become evident. It is a must therefore that the heart patient should be more aware of other symptoms that may arise from the chest pains. For this matter, hereunder are the immediate symptoms of a heart attack:
Breaking into a cold sweat.
Pain is moving from the chest to the jaw, shoulder or arms. The pain increases when effort is exerted.
There is fatigue and shortness of breath.
The chest pains did not respond to antacids.
Nausea and possible vomiting
Sufferer has become pale.
In the event that all of these symptoms are present or if within 10 to 15 minutes of taking an antacid or H2 blocker you are still suffering from heart burn or chest pain, ask someone to call 911.
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