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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Actual Heart Pains Caused By Acid Reflux?

Actual heart pains caused by acid reflux? Are doctors scamming people? I went in the emergency room today because I ve been having chest pains for the last three days. After tests were done I was told its just acid reflux, but I hardly ever get heartburn. However, after a fatty meal I do get sharp stabbing pains in my heart (left side of chest). How can a doctor equivicate heartburn, which is a burning sensation, with sharp stabbing pains like heart attack symptoms. My left arm has been hurting also. All this and Im only 21. Whats weird is that it has lasted for 3 days. How can acid reflux be causing constant pain for 3 days when I have no symptoms of normal heartburn (i.e. burning sensation)? They did blood tests, the Electrocardiogram, they did chest xray, and ultrasound on my gallbladder and liver. But they didn t find anything abnormal. The pain still persists, when I take a deep breath I get a sharp stabbing pain in my heart. Its as though I have a clogged artery and when my lungs expand with air it puts greater pressure on my heart region causing the pain in the heart. Thanks for the help so far, these answers have been helpful.
Fri, 18 Dec 2009
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Acid reflux or other digestive problems can mimic cardiac chest pain. There are more conclusive ways to determine if your pain is cardiac in nature. First of all, did the doctor give you a nitroglycerin tablet in the ER? If he did, did it help? If the pain is resolved with nitro, that's a good indication that it may be cardiac. Second, did he do an EKG? This would indicate any possible cardiac events. If nothing showed up on the EKG, then things are pointing more toward a gastrointestinal problem. Third, did they draw blood samples? The lab can check various enzymes in the blood (troponin I & CKMB) that become elevated following damage to the heart. If these enzymes aren't elevated, then there apparently wasn't an event that caused any damage to the heart. Fourth, did they give you a "GI Cocktail" (sometimes called a "green lady") to drink? If so, did it resolve the pain? This drink is made of an anesthetic agent, and antispasmodic, and an acid neutralizer. If you get relief from this drink, that's a really good indication that it was heartburn. Let me know what you find out. P.S. - Just re-read your post. You describe the pain as "sharp, stabbing pain". That's not typical of a cardiac problem. Of course, there are no 100%'s in medicine, but typically, cardiac chest pain feels more dull, or perhaps not even painful, but rather "pressure".
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Actual Heart Pains Caused By Acid Reflux?

Acid reflux or other digestive problems can mimic cardiac chest pain. There are more conclusive ways to determine if your pain is cardiac in nature. First of all, did the doctor give you a nitroglycerin tablet in the ER? If he did, did it help? If the pain is resolved with nitro, that s a good indication that it may be cardiac. Second, did he do an EKG? This would indicate any possible cardiac events. If nothing showed up on the EKG, then things are pointing more toward a gastrointestinal problem. Third, did they draw blood samples? The lab can check various enzymes in the blood (troponin I CKMB) that become elevated following damage to the heart. If these enzymes aren t elevated, then there apparently wasn t an event that caused any damage to the heart. Fourth, did they give you a GI Cocktail (sometimes called a green lady ) to drink? If so, did it resolve the pain? This drink is made of an anesthetic agent, and antispasmodic, and an acid neutralizer. If you get relief from this drink, that s a really good indication that it was heartburn. Let me know what you find out. P.S. - Just re-read your post. You describe the pain as sharp, stabbing pain . That s not typical of a cardiac problem. Of course, there are no 100% s in medicine, but typically, cardiac chest pain feels more dull, or perhaps not even painful, but rather pressure .