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Acid Reflux or Heart Attack?
The difference for Acid Reflux and Heart Attack.
This is both a simple and complicated
question. The only way to know for sure if
you're having a heart attack is to have an
EKG (electrocardiogram). Barring that,
though, there are some things that are more
likely to point towards garden variety heartburn:
1. Age.
If you're under 40, you're
extremely unlikely to have a heart attack. Unless others in your family had
heart attacks at a young age
2. Does the pain get worse when you lie down or after a large meal - if so, it's more likely to be heart burn.
3. Do antacids relieve the pain?
4. Do certain foods (like tomato sauce, citrus, or other acidic items) trigger the pain?
5. Does the pain remain in the same place (right in the middle of your chest) without radiating down your arm or up into your neck?
Pain that is more typical of heart trouble includes:
Feeling as if an elephant is sitting on
your chest, with pain that radiates down
your left arm (not the right arm) or up
into your neck.
Pain that does not improve with posture or antacids.
Chest pain in a person at higher risk
for heart attacks. Risks include: being
male, high cholesterol, high blood
pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity,
older age (>65), known heart disease,
being out of shape.
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