The challenge in quickly determining whether you’re having a heart attack or dealing with a case of heartburn is that the two conditions share overlapping symptoms. Even healthcare providers can’t always differentiate them based on symptoms alone.
One key difference lies in how it feels. A heart attack is often described as pressure, tightness, squeezing, or constriction in the chest, rather than sharp pain, says Nishant Shah, MD, a cardiologist at Duke Health in Durham, North Carolina. Many people don’t describe the sensation as pain at all. Instead, it may feel like heaviness or discomfort spread across a broad area of the chest, he says.
That pressure can also travel beyond the chest. People may notice discomfort radiating into the arm, shoulder, neck, jaw, or back, says Dr. Shah. Shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, or nausea may occur at the same time.
Heartburn, on the other hand, is caused by stomach acid moving upward into the esophagus. It can be triggered by certain foods and tends to feel like a burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen that may rise toward the throat, says Shah.
But those distinctions aren’t foolproof. Heart-related symptoms don’t always feel “textbook,” and digestive symptoms don’t always present predictably. “It’s important to not just chalk up chest discomfort to heartburn, especially if you’ve never had it before,” says Shah.
How long it lasts matters too. Chest pressure or discomfort that persists, worsens, or keeps returning shouldn’t be ignored, he adds.
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