Can Severe Pain in the Center of Your Chest Be Heart Burn?

Severe pain in the center of the chest may be an indication of simple heartburn. Depending on the severity of pain and other symptoms, a more dangerous heart attack could also be occurring.

Significance

• Heartburn rarely grows to any sort of life-threatening proportion. "Heartburn occurs when acid or other stomach contents back up in the esophagus," according to the American Gastroenterological Association. "It can greatly reduce your quality of life."

Identification

• Heartburn causes discomfort as a burning sensation in the chest that typically occurs after eating or on lying down or bending over. It may also be a sign of heart disease or heart attack.

Misconceptions

• Discerning whether the condition is controllable heartburn or a potentially fatal heart attack can be tricky. "Heartburn and chest pain are very different but can feel very much the same," says Mayo Clinic.

Effects

• An individual used to experiencing heartburn should seek emergency assistance if the pain is worse or different than usual or is accompanied by heart attack symptoms, such as dizziness, breathing difficulty, sweating, vomiting or pain shooting into the arm, shoulders or neck.

Considerations

• Physicians encourage people to call for help if any doubt exists as to which condition is surfacing. "Some people mistake heart attack symptoms for heartburn, take an antacid and wait for it to work," chides Cleveland Clinic.