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Symptoms of Heartburn and Indigestion

Indigestion and heartburn are considered by many to be one and the same, when in fact, they are 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. Similar to heartburn, indigestion often involves a burning sensation, although with indigestion it is typically felt more in the upper stomach area, rather than behind the breastbone. An acidic taste in the mouth is also another factor shared both by heartburn and indigestion. Abdominal pain, along with bloating and gas are other indigestion symptoms.

Although heartburn is the leaking of stomach acids into the esophagus, heartburn is often accompanied by indigestion. Indigestion and heartburn do share some underlying causes, however, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and a number of lifestyle conditions, including smoking, stress, alcohol consumption and eating certain foods, eating too much, or eating too fast.
Pregnancy is also a cause of both indigestion and heartburn. Contributing factors to heartburn and indigestion especially during pregnancy, is the added pressure on the stomach that the uterus caused by expanding. This is of course, due to the fact that our hormones change.

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. Burning sensations shouldn’t be confused with pain. You may be experiencing a heart attack if the pain moves through your chest to your arms and shoulders. If this is the case, seek medical help immediately~{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}~You should seek medical help immediately if the pain moves through your arms and shoulders, as this can be related 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}.

Factors such as, food getting stuck in the throat or chest, regurgitaion of food, acidic or salty taste in the mouth, a hoarse sounding voice and a sore throat are other symptoms of heartburn. Heartburn symptoms usually present themselves soon after a meal and can last from a few minutes to a few hours. Symptoms can very often worsen if you lie down. 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 recognize heartburn and indigestion can leave you better able to distinguish the symptoms from those of more serious conditions. Medical advice should be sought immeditely, if you experience unusual symptoms; sometimes these can be mistaken for indigestions and heartburn.