Heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux that occurs when gastric juices back up from the stomach into the esophagus (food pipe), irritating the cells that line it. This can cause a burning sensation in the chest, which is where the term “heartburn” comes from. In addition to heartburn, acid reflux can cause you to develop symptoms such as a cough, bad breath, and trouble swallowing.

Repeated episodes of heartburn usually signal the presence of GERD. If left untreated, GERD can cause a number of medical complications such as throat cancer, Barrett’s esophagus, and inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis).

This article will discuss the similarities and differences among heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD.

 GERD Raises the risk of esophageal and laryngeal cancer.

The Breakdown

Heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux and GERD. Occasional acid reflux is not concerning and usually goes away on its own, but repeated bouts of GERD can have dangerous medical consequences and should be addressed immediately.

What Is Heartburn?

Symptoms

There is a wide range of heartburn triggers that may result in a variety of symptoms, including:1

• Burning sensation in the chest: Irritation of the tissues in the esophagus results in an uncomfortable burning sensation in the chest, usually behind the breastbone.

• Sore throat: Acid reflux can cause regurgitation and inflammation of the adenoids (tissues at the very back of the nasal cavity), resulting in a sore throat.

• Sour or bitter taste in the mouth: The backflow of gastric contents can sometimes cause you to have an unpleasant taste in your mouth.

• Trouble swallowing: Also known as dysphagia, difficulty swallowing can occur when food does not pass normally from the mouth through the esophagus and to the stomach. Sometimes this can feel like a burning or choking sensation in the chest.

• Chronic coughing: A persistent cough is one of the most common symptoms that accompanies heartburn.

Causes

Heartburn is caused by a variety of conditions. In fact, anything that disrupts the esophagus can cause you to experience heartburn,This is why a proper medical evaluation of your symptoms is important.1

Some of the mechanisms that can contribute to heartburn include direct irritation of the esophagus, weakness of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), motility disorders of the digestive tract that result in delayed gastric emptying, and hiatal hernia (upper part of your stomach bulges through an opening in the diaphragm).

Treatment

If you have heartburn on occasion, it may be hard to determine the exact cause of your symptoms. It might help to think about the foods you ate, the activities you were doing, the clothes you were wearing, and the medications, if any, that you took prior to feeling your symptoms.

Your treatment will depend on the cause. If the cause is a food that you ate, you might want to take an over-the-counter (OTC) medication like TUMS (antacid) or Pepto Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) and avoid that food moving forward.

Loosening your clothes and not lying down after a meal may also help. If you were smoking or drinking excessively, the passing of time may be enough to resolve your symptoms.

 How Heartburn Is Treated

What Is Acid Reflux?

Symptoms