People who think heartburn and indigestion are one of the same are wrong. They are definitely not. The symptoms of heartburn and angina and indigestion can be similar, however, and the conditions often occur simultaneously, which can make the identification somewhat difficult.
Symptoms of Indigestion
Indigestion is often described as a feeling of fullness or discomfort while eating or after a meal. If you have the burning sensation in the upper stomach area, it is likely to be indigestion, whereas, heartburn gives a burning pain that starts behind the breastbone. Another sharing factor, is that both heartburn and indigestion involves an acidic taste in the mouth. Bloating, abdominal pain and gas are other symptoms of indigestion.
Heartburn and indigestion often accompany each other, even though the leaking of stomach acids into the esophagus is associated with heartburn. Smoking, stress, alcohol consumption, certain foods, eating too fast or too much are all shared underlying causes to indigestion and heartburn.
Indigestion and heartburn is also caused by pregnancy. Hormones and the added pressure on the stomach by the expanding uterus are both believed to be contributing factors to heartburn and indigestion during pregnancy.
Symptoms of Heartburn
While the causes of heartburn vary from person to person, the symptoms of heartburn are fairly consistent for most individuals. So, what does heartburn feel like?An identifiable symptom that is common to heartburn is the burning sensation in the chest and throat. Pain shouldn’t be mixed up with the burning sensation. Actual pain in the chest that radiates to the arms or shoulders should be evaluated immediately, because it can indicate more serious conditions, such as a heart attack~{You could be suffering a heart attack if the pain in the chest radiates to the arms and shoulders; if this is the case seek medical help immediately}~{Seek medical help immediately if the pain in the chest radiates to the arms and shoulders as you could be experiencing a heart attack}~A heart attack could be experienced if the chest pain moves through the shoulders and arms. {If this is the situation, then you should seek medical help immediately}~{Seek medical help immediately, if this is the situation}~{If this is the situation, seek medical help immediately}~Medical help should be sought if this is the situation}~If you are having pains in the chest that actually move to the arms and shoulders then you should seek medical help immediately as this can be something more serious such as a heart attack~{You could be suffering a heart attack if the pain in the chest radiates to the arms and shoulders; if this is the case seek medical help immediately}~{Seek medical help immediately if the pain in the chest radiates to the arms and shoulders as you could be experiencing a heart attack}~You could be experiencing a heart attack if the pain in the chest moves to the arms and shoulders. {If this is the situation, then you should seek medical help immediately}~{Seek medical help immediately, if this is the situation}~{If this is the situation, seek medical help immediately}~Medical help should be sought if this is the situation}.
Other symptoms of heartburn include a hoarse sounding voice, sore throat, acidic or salty taste in the mouth, regurgitation or a feeling that foods are getting stuck in the throat or chest. Heartburn symptoms usually present themselves soon after a meal and can last from a few minutes to a few hours. If you lie down, you may find that very often the symptoms will worsen. Antacids will treat heartburn in most cases. Medical help should be sought if the pain does not at least ease with antacid treatment.
Many heart conditions have been mistaken for heartburn; it is important to therefore seek medical help if the pain appears suddenly and you experience things like dizziness, lightheadedness and cold sweats. Learning to identify the symptoms of heartburn and indigestion is important, particularly if you are at risk for developing heart conditions and of course, knowing the difference between angina heartburn symptoms. Learning to distinguish between the different symptoms of indigestion and heartburn is really important as you need to know when the conditions are more serious. Medical advice should be sought immeditely, if you experience unusual symptoms; sometimes these can be mistaken for indigestions and heartburn.
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