Think it is acid reflux? Chest discomfort could be a heart attack, doctor warns seven high-risk groups

A patient who regularly treated chest discomfort as acid reflux took three stomach medicines before discovering that the real problem was a heart attack.

Liu Po-jen, president of the Kobota Clinic, said the patient had previously improved after taking stomach medicine whenever chest tightness or a burning sensation appeared. One evening, the discomfort returned, but the medicines did not help. The patient’s family took him to an emergency department, where an electrocardiogram and blood tests revealed a heart attack.

Liu said acid reflux and reduced blood flow to the heart can feel similar because the esophagus and heart are both located in the chest. Acid reflux may cause burning, regurgitation and belching, especially after eating, lying down or consuming certain foods. Heart-related problems may instead feel like pressure, shortness of breath, nausea, cold sweats or discomfort in the upper abdomen.

He urged particular caution among people with high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, a smoking history, obesity, kidney disease or a family history of cardiovascular disease. Warning signs include symptoms that no longer improve with stomach medicine, discomfort during walking or climbing stairs, stronger pressure than usual, or pain spreading to the arm, shoulder, back or jaw.

Liu said many cases of chest discomfort are not heart attacks and can result from reflux, muscle pain, anxiety or lung disease. His warning was narrower: people should not assume that unfamiliar chest symptoms are simply a recurring digestive problem, and should seek prompt medical assessment.