Can Acid Reflux Cause Chest Pain?
Yes, acid reflux can cause chest pain. The chest discomfort caused by acid reflux is usually a burning pain behind the breastbone.
More Info: Practically everyone gets "heartburn" or "acid indigestion" from time to time, but two or more times a week may indicate that a person has gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD happens when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the ring of muscle that keeps the esophagus (food tube) closed, relaxes too frequently. Increased amounts of stomach acid and other liquids that the body makes to help digest food, back up into the lower part of the esophagus, causing a burning pain in the chest. GERD is often made worse by certain foods, like chocolate, peppermint, and foods that are greasy or spicy.
Treating GERD
If GERD goes untreated, the base of the esophagus can develop severe irritation. The damage can cause some people to have chest pain and pressure bad enough to be confused with heart pain like angina or myocardial infarction (heart attack). But even if there isn't much pain, esophagus damage from too much acid may still occur. The opening at the LES may get narrower, causing food to get feel like it's stuck, and can't go all the way down. Sometimes, the constant acid makes the cells in the esophagus change into pre-cancerous cells.
Treating GERD does help relieve the pain and symptoms in most people. Treatments include reducing foods that aggravate acid reflux, and over-the-counter or prescription medicines that decrease stomach acid.
More Chest Pain Conditions:
Does Emphysema Cause Chest Pain?
National Center for Biotechnology Information"Chest Pain or Discomfort"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Florida Health Finder"Chest pain"http://www.floridahealthfinder.gov
"Can Acid Reflux Cause Chest Pain?." Sophisticated Edge. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.sophisticatededge.com/can-acid-reflux-cause-chest-pain.html>.
Source: Elaine Magee Tell Me What to Eat if I Have Acid Reflux
New York: Rosen, 2009. Print.
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