Heartburn vs Heart Attack: Key Differences, Symptoms, and When to Seek Help

What is Heartburn?

Heartburn is a common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux, which is primarily caused by stomach contents flowing back up into the oesophagus (the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach). 

Undigested food particles, along with stomach acid (hydrochloric acid), move up into the oesophagus and sometimes even the throat, causing irritation to the delicate tissues that line them, causing a burning sensation. 

The burning feeling or heartburn is felt just behind the breastbone and may occasionally shoot upwards toward the throat. Heartburn is a common symptom of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), but many individuals who don’t have GERD also feel heartburn from acid reflux after eating a heavy meal or after consuming spicy food or alcohol. 

Symptoms of Heartburn: 

How do you know if you have heartburn? Here is how heartburn feels:

• A burning sensation in the chest is often felt behind the breastbone. 
• A sour or bitter taste in the mouth. 
• Regurgitation, or the sensation that food or fluids rise into your throat. 
• Chest discomfort worsens when you bend over or lie down. 
• The burning sensation worsens after eating, especially after eating large meals or spicy foods. 

Heartburn is uncomfortable. Apart from the discomfort, it can also leave you confused and fearing something worse, like a heart attack. 

However, it is important to know that this condition is not life-threatening and can be managed effectively with over-the-counter antacids, dietary and lifestyle changes, and medications that help reduce stomach acid production.

Read more - From Heartburn to Halitosis: Understanding and Treating Acid Reflux and Bad Breath.

What is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction, is a heart muscle injury caused by reduced blood flow and oxygen supply due to the formation of plaque in the inner walls of the arteries.

Unlike heartburn, heart attacks are medical emergencies that require immediate medical attention and treatment to minimise heart tissue damage, restore blood flow, and prevent life-threatening complications.

Symptoms of a Heart Attack:

A heart attack is not always announced with a dramatic scene of clutching the chest, as seen in films. For some, it may come as dull, squeezing pain in the chest or as a pressure over the chest, which makes it hard to breathe. 

Others may feel no pain at all, just a sick feeling, lightheadedness, or cold sweats. 

Common signs of a heart attack include: 

• Severe chest pain or discomfort that feels like uncomfortable pressure in the centre of the chest.
• Pain may radiate to the arms, neck, shoulders, back, or jaw.
• Shortness of breath.
• Cold sweats, dizziness, or episodes of fainting.
• Nausea and lightheadedness.

A heart attack is a race against time. The sooner you act, the better your chances of survival are. If you suspect that you or anyone around you is having a heart attack, call emergency services right away without wasting even a moment. 

Key Differences Between Heartburn and Heart Attack

Both heartburn and heart attack involve the same unwelcome symptom – chest pain. One sends you to reach for an antacid, while the other sends you for an ambulance. 

Mistaking one for the other could mean either unnecessary panic or a dangerous delay. That’s why knowing the differences is crucial – because in a moment of doubt, making the right choice can be life-saving.

1. Location and Type of Pain

If you observe carefully, the pain you experience during heartburn is slightly different from the pain caused by a heart attack.

Heartburn:

• The pain is felt just behind the breastbone.
• The pain or discomfort feels like a burning sensation.
• Pain worsens after meals, mainly if you have eaten spicy or acidic foods and when you lie down.
• Pain improves with antacids or by standing up and moving around.

Heart Attack:

• The pain is often described as a sensation of pressure, tightness, squeezing, or fullness in the centre or towards the left side of the chest.
• Pain may radiate to your neck, shoulders, arms, jaw, or back.
• Pain may be accompanied by symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, or cold sweats.
• This pain is not relieved by antacids and lasts longer than heartburn.

2. Duration of Symptoms

The duration of the symptoms also differs between heartburn and a heart attack. 

Heartburn: 

• You can experience it for a few minutes or even a few hours, depending on individual factors like how strong your digestion is, how much food you consume, and so on. 
• The pain subsides when the stomach empties itself, normally around 2 to 5 hours. 
• By doing some activities, like bending over or lying down, you may start to feel the symptoms again. 

Heart Attack: 

• Chest pain from a heart attack can last from a few minutes up to several hours. 
• It may not subside and may persist for longer without treatment. 
• The intensity of the discomfort you feel will usually get worse with time, with associated symptoms like dizziness or shortness of breath.

3. Associated Symptoms

What symptoms accompany heartburn and a heart attack? Read on to find out.

Heartburn: 

• Heartburn may be accompanied by the regurgitation of stomach contents into the throat or mouth, causing a sour taste.
• You may also experience abdominal discomfort, bloating, or belching alongside heartburn.

Heart Attack:

• A heart attack is usually accompanied by various other symptoms, which may even occur without the classic chest pain symptom of a heart attack.
• A heart attack may be accompanied by additional symptoms such as feeling sick to your stomach and throwing up, sweating, often cold sweats, dizziness, fainting, and shortness of breath.
• A heart attack may cause pain in other areas apart from the chest, such as the neck, shoulders, arms, jaw, and back.

4. Relief and Treatment

Heartburn and heart attacks may feel similar, but the relief and treatment approaches are entirely different. 

Heartburn: 

• Over-the-counter antacids or prescription medications such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or H2 blockers can relieve heartburn. 
• Basic diet and lifestyle changes, such as eating smaller meals more frequently and avoiding foods that trigger heartburn, can have a long-term impact on relieving heartburn symptoms. 

Heart Attack: 

• Heart attacks are a medical emergency and need to be treated by a doctor right away. 
• The treatment for a heart attack includes medications such as aspirin and blood thinners or surgical procedures, such as angioplasty, to get blood to flow normally to the heart.

Take this self-assessment quiz to recognise possible heart attack symptoms and to determine whether you need immediate medical attention.

When to Seek Medical Help

While the body has the ability to heal on its own in time, it does require the right circumstances and appropriate forms of attention for healing to happen. 

1. Seeking Help for Heartburn 

Heartburn can be uncomfortable and annoying, but it is rarely life-threatening, does not tend to be problematic, and is not an emergency; rather, it is just a discomfort that needs attention if certain warning signs appear. 

You should seek assistance if you have: 

• Recurrent and persistent heartburn (more than two times a week). 
• Severe pain or burning in the chest that does not go away or gets worse even after taking antacids. 
• You have pain while swallowing, or food seems to get stuck in your throat. 
• You have a chronic cough, hoarseness, or a sore throat that is not related to the flu or a cold.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• The presence of blood in your vomit or stool. 

These signs may indicate a possible underlying condition that requires immediate medical attention.

2. Seeking Help for a Heart Attack

During a heart attack, identifying the symptoms, taking swift action, and promptly seeking medical assistance can be crucial for survival.

If you or someone around you experiences any of the following symptoms, call the emergency services immediately (999 or 911):

• Severe chest pain that lasts for more than a few minutes and keeps getting worse.
• Pain radiating to the neck, shoulders, arms, jaw, or back.
• Sudden shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, cold sweats, or fainting.
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat.

Remember that “time “is muscle. The sooner you receive medical care, the better the chances of restoring blood flow, minimising the damage to the heart muscle, and preventing it from progressing to life-threatening complications.

The Bottom Line

Heartburn and heart attacks can both cause chest discomfort, but these conditions are entirely different from one another. 

Heartburn is a digestive issue you can easily tame with lifestyle changes and medications, while a heart attack is a ticking time bomb that demands urgent medical attention, and without it, the consequences can be fatal. 

What should you do if the symptoms leave you confused? To be on the safe side, you should seek medical care immediately, especially if your symptoms point towards a heart attack. Knowing the difference between these two conditions could save your life.