GERD and heart attacks may be confused for one another because, in both cases, people experience chest pain. To the untrained eye, these pains are very difficult to tell apart, but once you know the symptoms for each condition, it will be easier to know how to act the next time you feel chest pain.
GERD vs acid reflux vs heartburn
Even if these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different from a medical point of view. Heartburn isn’t exactly a medical condition, and the name is misleading because it isn't actually a heart-related problem. Heartburn is a sign of acid reflux.
When someone is experiencing repeated heartburn, it could indicate they have GERD (which is short for “gastroesophageal reflux disease”). For the average person, it’s very difficult to tell which is which, because in the heat of the moment, they all feel very similar. Understanding their symptoms might help you tell them apart.
Acid reflux is a problem that occurs when the acid inside a person’s stomach travels all the way up to their mouth. In the medical world, acid reflux is also known as GER (gastroesophageal reflux). Acid reflux typically occurs when the muscle located at the bottom of the food pipe is loosened or weakened.
People who have chronic acid reflux suffer from GERD. GERD shares its symptoms with acid reflux, only they occur more frequently when you have this disease. GERD is usually diagnosed in people who experience acid reflux at least twice per week.
Heartburn vs angina: Telling them apart
When you’ve just finished eating and have a burning sensation in your chest, how can you figure out if it's heartburn or you’re experiencing angina — chest pain that might signal a heart attack? The truth is that even when you go to the emergency room, the doctor won’t be able to tell exactly what’s going on until they perform a series of tests.
Heartburn is caused by acid reflux. It generally starts as a burning sensation in the upper part of your abdomen, which slowly goes higher up into your chest. This sensation normally occurs when you bend over, lie down, or immediately after having eaten. Sometimes, heartburn can wake you up if you’ve eaten right before going to bed. Unlike angina, heartburn can be treated with antacids (special medication used to treat acid reflux). It’s also common for people with heartburn to have a sour taste in their mouth.
Another way to tell heartburn apart from angina is to see if you’re regurgitating (stomach content rise to your throat).
There is also a type of chest pain that can be confused with a heart attack symptom, but it’s caused by a muscle spasm in your esophagus. Even people experiencing gallbladder pain can feel it radiating to the chest. The most important thing to keep in mind is to always seek medical help if you are not sure what’s causing your chest pain.
How is a GERD diagnosis made?
In order to diagnose a person with GERD, the doctor will ask questions about their medical history. In the initial stage, the doctor might suggest a few dietary changes to eliminate the cause of the symptoms and might even prescribe some medication.
Should these methods prove inefficient, the doctor might run a series of test to determine whether or not a person is actually suffering from GERD. Such tests include:
- Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and biopsy. This procedure requires inserting a thin tube with a camera down a person’s food pipe. The purpose is to see what’s inside the stomach. In some cases, doctors also choose to take a tissue sample.
- Bravo wireless esophageal pH monitoring. This test will help doctors monitor a person’s acid levels with the help of an external receiver and a capsule inside the food pipe.
- Esophageal pH and impedance monitoring. With the help of a thin tube that’s inserted inside the food pipe, the doctor can monitor acid levels over the course of an entire day.
- Upper GI series. This type of test is actually an X-ray that gives the doctor information of any internal problems that might be causing acid reflux (such as hernia).
Treatment for GERD vs heart attack treatment
GERD and heart attacks follow very different treatment paths. In order to treat a heart attack, the doctor might resort to medication that keeps cholesterol and blood pressure under control but may also have to perform an aggressive intervention to open up the coronary artery. People who suffer from chest pain as a sign of a heart attack will be given medication to relieve the pain, such as nitroglycerin.
On the other hand, people diagnosed with GERD will be given medication that helps with acid reflux, such as antacids (to help neutralize the acid levels in the stomach), H2 blockers (to prevent acid build-up in the stomach), proton pump inhibitors (a type of drug that reduces stomach acid, and is part of long-term treatment), and prokinetics (drugs that help empty the stomach faster).
Both GERD and heart attacks will require dietary changes, but for different reasons. In the case of a heart attack, it’s very important to watch your diet in order to avoid eating too much salt or foods that are rich in fat in cholesterol (since cholesterol is the primary cause of coronary artery disease).
Conclusion
GERD and heart attacks can start with chest pain which, at first, makes it very difficult if you’re actually having a heart attack or have acid reflux. Knowing the symptoms of GERD might shed some light on the situation.
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