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Tag: heartburn

  • Heartburn Symptoms: When Should You Worry?

    Many people experience heartburn after eating certain foods. The most common symptom of heartburn is a burning sensation in the stomach or chest area. The pain can last for a few minutes or several days. While heartburn can be annoying, it is harmless. The symptoms of heartburn can mimic those of a heart attack, and for some people it can be hard to distinguish the difference between the two.

    If you are having a heart attack, it is important to seek help as soon as possible. While the pain associated with heart attacks can be similar to that experienced during heartburn, there are several other symptoms associated with heart attacks that you should recognize.

    Heartburn happens when stomach acids overflow and move into the esophagus. The burning sensation is felt as a result of these acids burning the lining of the esophagus. Certain foods and bad habits such as smoking can cause stomach acids to build up faster and lead to heartburn. Pain is usually the only symptom experienced.

    One of the first signs of a heart attack is often pain in the chest. This pain is often compared to severe heartburn and can easily be shrugged off at first. If you are experiencing chest pain accompanied by a tight feeling in your chest or around your heart, shortness of breath, lightheadedness or pain in the shoulders, neck, jaw, or arms along with your chest pain, you may be having a heart attack. Heartburn is usually experienced after eating, but a heart attack can happen anytime.

    If you have a history of heart disease and heartburn, you may want to consider taking medication that can reduce stomach acids and prevent heartburn. Once your heartburn is under control, it will be easier to determine if chest pain is related to a heart attack.

    Knowing the difference between heartburn symptoms and the symptoms of a heart attack can save your life or an unnecessary trip to the emergency room. If you are unable to determine if you are suffering from heartburn or a heart attack, it is better to be safe than sorry and you should seek medical attention.

    Have you ever confused heartburn with a heart attack?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Heartburn Symptoms: Distinguishing The Dangerous Ones

    Heartburn symptoms affect up to 20 percent of Americans on a weekly basis and share many symptoms with a heart attack, according to WebMD. Because of this, distinguishing which heartburn symptoms are dangerous is important.

    The brief definition of heartburn is that it occurs when stomach acid splashes from the stomach into the esophagus. The esophagus becomes irritated, causing the pain many associate with and call heartburn.

    Other similar diseases are acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux diseases (GERD) and the three vary according to causes and severity of symptoms.

    So, what are some of the symptoms of heartburn? They range from a burning feeling that can last from a few short minutes to several hours to chest pain especially when lying back or leaning over and even to a burning feeling in the back of the throat.

    Many things can cause heartburn, including meals high in fat or oils, stress and lack of sleep which contribute to increased acid production, and smoking, which stimulates stomach acid.

    But there are a few signs everyone should watch out for, especially if they have a history of heart problems. These include a tightening of the chest like a belt has been placed around it; shortness of breath and dizziness; and pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, jaw, or arms.

    Pain associated with heartburn generally comes after meals and generally not with a spreading of the pain to the shoulders, neck, jaw, or arms.

    Ironwood Pharmaceuticals is currently investigating a compound—IW-3718—in patients suffering from GERD and say that the an estimated seven million people suffer regularly with symptoms in spite of proton pump inhibitors that are designed to slow acid production in the stomach.

    “For many of these refractory GERD patients, research suggests reflux of bile acid from the intestine into the stomach and esophagus may play an important role in their ongoing suffering,” said Michael Hall, MB. BCh., senior vice president, clinical development of Ironwood.

    He continued: “Refractory GERD is a significant unmet need among those suffering with gastrointestinal disorders, and we are investigating IW-3718 to assess whether it may help prevent bile acid reflux and provide relief for patients.”

    Image from Wikimedia Commons