Heartburn Or Heart Attack? The Two Are Not Related Though Chest Pain Is Common To Both

There is really no relation between heartburn and heart attack though some of the symptoms in either instance are similar. If you experience a severe heart attack, you may find that it does not respond to non-prescription drugs, which makes it a serious matter indeed. Though you can be sure that chest pain is common complaint in heartburn or heart attack, it is a symptom that behaves differently in either case. When the chest pain is due to heartburn, the patient will experience a burning sensation that may subside after taking a pill, and unless it is especially severe does not require paying a visit to an emergency room.

Chest Pains Are Also Different

The chest pain that is felt during a heart attack is dull and persistent and will not subside on its own, and it requires close medical supervision which means that you must call a doctor for getting immediate help. So, when you are trying to fathom whether the chest pain that you are experiencing is heartburn or heart attack, you won't have much time to make an educated guess in the instance of a heart attack as it requires immediate action. On the other hand, the chest pain felt as a result of heartburn is not so serious and a simple pill or other medication can provide relief and there is usually no other needs to treat the case, except in the case of an especially severe attack.

Also, when considering heartburn or heart attack, you can safely assume that heartburn is a discomfort that has nothing to do with the heart and is in fact a digestive disorder that is often even accompanied by gas and bloating for which you can use an over-the-counter medication to get relief.

Heart attacks on the other hand are what most people fear they are experiencing, though not all chest pain emanates from the heart and it could be nothing worse than an inconvenience such as a muscle ache, though it can also be an indication of a heart attack. Such chest pain is known as angina which can be treated with exercise and rest. No doubt, heart attack pain may be similar to that of heartburn, and such pain can often start off as a mild throb and then become excruciating and is generally caused by blockage of blood flow to the heart.

There is also a difference between heartburn and heart attack in that heart attacks can be caused by a person's age, and gender in which men are more at risk than women. Thus, it may become necessary to control the risk of heart attack by abstaining from smoking, reducing cholesterol levels and keeping blood pressure at the proper level and also controlling diabetes. These factors generally do not influence a heartburn condition and one can thus use different methods to keep a check on heartburn and heart attack.