In the middle of dinner, you feel a sharp chest pain. Is it a heart attack \u2013 or severe heartburn? The pain may feel similar, but the potential consequences are a matter of life and death. Unfortunately, too often women ignore the pain, making a potentially fatal mistake.<\/p>\n
About 12 million Americans get heartburn once a month, according to the American College of Gastroenterology. Approximately 10,000 women 29-44 years old have a heart attack each year.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople often confuse the symptoms of a heart attack and heartburn,\u201d says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., chief of women\u2019s cardiac care at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and author of Dr. Nieca Goldberg\u2019s Complete Guide to Women\u2019s Health. \u201cUnfortunately, they usually think they have heartburn instead of a heart attack \u2013 this can be a tragic mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both heartburn and a heart attack cause a feeling of pressure and a gnawing or burning sensation in the chest. But that\u2019s where the similarity ends.<\/p>\n
A heart attack occurs when the artery walls narrow, severely reducing the flow of oxygen and blood to the heart.<\/p>\n
Heartburn, however, has nothing to do with your heart; it’s a digestive problem. Acidic liquid from your stomach backs up into your esophagus and inflames its lining.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re not sure which one you\u2019re experiencing, go to the emergency room immediately. But here are a few tips to figure out what you have and get the right treatment:<\/p>\n
Heartburn or Heart Attack? Symptoms to Watch for
Heartburn: When you experience heartburn \u2013 or acid reflux, the backup of the stomach’s contents into your esophagus \u2013 you may feel a burning in the chest, an acidic or sour taste in the mouth or a sensation that you\u2019re full. Other people have nausea, a dry cough or sore throat.<\/p>\n
Unlike heart attacks, heartburn symptoms are similar for men and women.<\/p>\n
Heart attack: The image of a woman gripping her chest and falling to the floor really isn\u2019t what happens with a heart attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, only half the women who have heart attacks have chest pain, which is the most common symptom for men,\u201d Goldberg says.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, women\u2019s symptoms are more subtle and easy to miss. These include:<\/p>\n
* Pressure or burning feeling in the chest
* Unexplained, extreme fatigue
* Pain or discomfort that radiates to the arms, jaw, neck and\/or back
* Nausea, dizziness and\/or vomiting
* Breaking out into a cold sweat
* Shortness of breath<\/p>\n
Still not sure which it is?<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a tip: \u201cPain that can be reproduced by changing position, pressing over the area of pain or that can be brought on by deep breathing or coughing is unlikely to be related to the heart,\u201d says cardiologist Elizabeth Klodas, M.D., author of Slay the Giant: The Power of Prevention in Defeating Heart Disease and spokeswoman for the American College of Cardiology.<\/p>\n
Then again, you might not feel pain, says Mary Ann Bauman, M.D., of the American Heart Association\u2019s \u201cGo Red for Women\u201d campaign. You just may not feel like your usual self and that may be your heart talking to you.<\/p>\n
Are you suddenly breathless while climbing stairs? It could be a sign that your heart isn\u2019t getting enough oxygen, Bauman says.<\/p>\n
What Are the Risk Factors?
Heartburn: Being pregnant increases your risk. In fact, almost 50% of moms-to-be get heartburn, especially in the second half of pregnancy, according to the American College of Gastroenterology.<\/p>\n
Initially, the culprit is high levels of the hormone progesterone, which cause the muscle located between your esophagus and stomach to relax. In later months, heartburn is caused by the growing fetus pushing your stomach (and its contents) up toward your diaphragm.<\/p>\n
Weight also plays a role.<\/p>\n
\u201cObese women are six times more likely to develop heartburn than women of normal weight, but simply gaining weight has been linked to increased risk,\u201d Goldberg says.<\/p>\n
Additional risk factors include smoking and drinking too much alcohol.<\/p>\n
Heart attack: High blood pressure or cholesterol levels, diabetes, family history, older age, and being a smoker and overweight can boost your risk of heart disease and, thus, a heart attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re at high risk for a heart attack, you need to be more cautious about the symptoms you\u2019re experiencing, especially if they\u2019re new,\u201d cardiologist Klodas says.<\/p>\n
In other words, don\u2019t shrug off unfamiliar chest pain.<\/p>\n
What Triggers Attacks?
Heartburn: The commercials for heartburn relief are right \u2013 eating can set off the pain. Certain foods can trigger heartburn, such as chocolate, peppermint, fried or spicy foods, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and acidic fruits and veggies. These cause the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle to weaken, which allows acid to flow up into the esophagus.<\/p>\n
A peek into your medicine cabinet may also reveal possible sources.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth prescription and over-the-counter medications like aspirin, ibuprofen, Aleve, prednisone, iron, potassium can all cause heartburn,\u201d Bauman says.<\/p>\n
These drugs inhibit prostaglandin, a compound that protects the stomach\u2019s lining from its acid.<\/p>\n
Heart attack: You won\u2019t get much warning with a heart attack. Often, they occur after exertion, such as shoveling snow, which causes blood pressure to rise and blood vessels to constrict.<\/p>\n
But most heart attacks come out of nowhere.<\/p>\n
Soothing the Pain
Heartburn: Although our instinct is to lie down and rest when we hurt, don\u2019t: That exacerbates heartburn. Being horizontal causes stomach acids to flow back up into your esophagus.<\/p>\n
Instead, stay upright for a few hours after eating. When you\u2019re ready to sleep, keep your head above your stomach by resting on a wedge or elevating the head of the bed.<\/p>\n
Mild heartburn symptoms can be soothed with over-the-counter antacids, such as Tums, which counteracts stomach acid.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people find that drinking milk helps too,\u201d Klodas says. But its relief is short-term: Milk may neutralize heartburn-causing acid, but its nutrients, particularly fat, will stimulate more production later.<\/p>\n
Also, figure out which foods trigger the \u2018burn, so you can avoid them.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t chow down on a heavy meal before you hit the sack, eat smaller meals, quit smoking and “reduce stress because it increases stomach acid that can cause heartburn,\u201d Goldberg says.<\/p>\n
If you have heartburn more than twice a week, you may have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition characterized by chronic, persistent acid reflux.<\/p>\n
See a doctor as soon as possible, because GERD is linked to more serious conditions, such as esophageal ulcers and bleeding, peptic stricture and Barrett’s esophagus, which increases the risk of cancer. A physician can also prescribe stronger medications to reduce acid production.<\/p>\n
Heart attack: Lying down may relieve discomfort from a heart attack, but it doesn\u2019t stop it. If you think you\u2019re having a heart attack, call 911 immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say it enough: Sometimes, it\u2019s difficult to distinguish between heartburn and heart attack without performing an ECG [electrocardiogram] and laboratory tests,\u201d Goldberg says. \u201cSee your doctor or go to the ER.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, two-thirds of women don\u2019t go to the emergency room and that mistake can be fatal.<\/p>\n
\u201cHalf the heart attacks that occur outside of the hospital are fatal because those first minutes are so crucial,\u201d Goldberg says.<\/p>\n
So even if you\u2019re not sure that it\u2019s heartburn or a heart attack, dial 911. Don\u2019t drive yourself to the hospital or wait for someone to take you either, Bauman advises.<\/p>\n
When you call 911, \u201ctreatment can begin immediately when the ambulance arrives and that\u2019s important in order to limit the damage to the heart,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
While waiting for the ambulance, chew a regular aspirin (325 mg tablet). Aspirin thins the blood and, as a result, may help dissolve the blood clot that\u2019s causing the heart attack, Klodas says.<\/p>\n
To prevent a heart attack:<\/p>\n
* Know your numbers. High blood pressure or cholesterol levels increase the risk for a heart attack, but you won\u2019t know if you have either until you get a check-up. In a 2007 telephone survey of 524, 18- to 44-year-old women conducted by the Society for Women\u2019s Health Research (SWHR), almost 20% said they never had their cholesterol tested or had not checked it in five years.<\/p>\n
* Put out your butts. Nicotine deprives the body of oxygen, speeds build-up of plaque in arteries and lowers high-density lipids (HDL), or \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol.<\/p>\n
* Keep your weight in check. Being overweight or obese makes your heart work a lot harder.<\/p>\n
* Break a sweat. Exercising helps your ticker, even if you don\u2019t lose a pound. A Harvard Medical School study found that participants who did physical activity (formal workouts as well as gardening, walking to work and taking the stairs) just one to two hours per week reduced their risk of heart disease by 27%, 2-5 hours reduced it by 32% and more than five hours decreased it by 41%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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A little heartburn may come after a big, greasy meal. But could that pain be a heart attack? Recognizing the differences between the two may help save your life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":415618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-440835","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local-news"},"yoast_head":"\n