What is heartburn?

It is a symptom felt asa burning sensation in chest. Many patients describe this symptom like indigestion, dyspepsia, or hyper-acidity. About 20% of population may suffer from heartburn. It is more common in pregnancy, obesity and smokers.

Is this to do any thing with heart?

No, despite the name ‘heartburn’ it has nothing to do with heart, and usually this symptom arises from your esophagus. Because the esophagus and heart are located near each other, many people mistake this symptom arising from heart. However,if you are not sure if it’s heartburn or pain arising from your heart, seek medical attention right away. Your doctor will be the best judge to ascertain whether your symptom is from your heart or esophagus.

How common is heartburn?

Heartburn is a very common symptom and it is estimated that approximately one-third of general population have heartburn at least once a month, with 10% experiencing it nearly every day.

What are conditions that can cause chest pain or chest discomfort?

There are many causes of chest pain or chest discomfort. The most important is related to heart called ‘angina’. It is a condition when heart gets less blood supply. Beside this, problems of heart valve (mitral valve prolapse), heart covering (pericarditis) or heart muscles (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) can cause chest pain. Lung condition (like pneumonia pleurisy), stomach condition (ulcers, reflux esophagitis, hiatus hernia), problems of gall bladder or pancreas, problems of ribs, rib muscles and infections like herpescan also cause chest pain.

Is heartburn same as ‘gastro-esophageal reflux disease’ (GERD)?

GER (gastroesophegeal reflux) is a normal phenomenon, which happens in all individuals, more frequently after a meal. When this results in significant distress and retrosternal pain it is referred to as GERD (gastroesophegeal reflux disease). Heartburn is the most common symptom ofgastro-esophageal reflux disease. But besides heartburn, GERD can cause many other symptoms, like chest pain, sour eructation, chronic cough, and painful or difficult swallowing.

Is heartburn related to lifestyle of person?

Yes, it is more common in persons who areoverweight, smokersor alcoholics. It is also related to the type of diet one takes.

Can heartburn be due to food?

Yes, certain foods like citrus fruits, chocolates, spicy-foods, tomatoes, onions and fizzy drinkscan also causeheartburn

Can medicines also cause heartburn?

Yes, many medicines can be associated with heartburn symptoms. The common examples are pain-killers (like ibuprofen, aspirin), sedatives, medicines for high blood pressure, corticosteroids and certain antibiotics.

Howdoes pregnancy cause heartburn?

Many women have symptoms of heartburn when they are pregnant. The reasons are hormonal changes that occur during pregnancylowers the pressure of lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The other cause of regurgitation of acid into food pipe is thegrowing fetus that puts pressure over the stomach.