DIFFERENTIATING HEARTBURN SYMPTOMS FROM A HEART ATTACK
DIFFERENTIATING HEARTBURN SYMPTOMS FROM A HEART ATTACK
As remarkable as it may sound, there are times when heartburn symptoms are very hard to distinguish from those of a heart attack. When heartburn is particularly severe, a person experiencing heartburn symptoms may be filled with panic, thinking that the chest pain is already something serious. On the other hand, mild heart attacks sometimes trigger no more than a sensation of mild pain or pressure in the general area of the chest. Sometimes, this pain is referred to the diaphragm, giving the mistaken notion that the experience is only heartburn. Because a heart attack is a medically serious condition, everyone should have a basic understanding of how to differentiate heartburn symptoms from a heart problem or attack.
To better distinguish between heartburn symptoms and heart attack, you need to understand the mechanism behind these two phenomena. A heartburn is caused by stomach acids somehow travelling up the esophagus. Because stomach acid is largely hydrochloric acid, this causes pain and a burning sensation.
On the other hand, a heart attack occurs something occurs to impede the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. When this happens, the heart muscle sustains damage as it basically starves to death. Because both heart problems or attacks and heartburn manifest themselves as burning in the chest, stomach discomfort, nausea and sweating, a person in the grip of these symptoms may not be sure of what is happening.
