Symptoms of Heartburn and Indigestion

Indigestion or dyspepsia is a term that is mainly used to refer to abdominal discomforts. In general, people use the term indigestion to describe discomforts like, abdominal bloating, belching, nausea and pain and burning sensation in the abdomen and chest. Heartburn or pyrosis can also be a sign of indigestion, but the two conditions are not same. Heartburn is associated with acid reflux disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is characterized by the regurgitation of stomach content and acids to the esophagus. Heartburn causes a painful burning sensation in the chest, just behind the breastbone after eating a meal. Despite the difference between these two conditions, they can occur simultaneously at times.

Dyspepsia and Pyrosis

Causes
Both these condition can occur due to acid reflux disease, where stomach acids and foods regurgitate to the esophagus. This can happen when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) weakens or fails to function properly. LES is a valve like structure that allows food to enter the stomach from the esophagus, but prevents the backward flow of food from the stomach to the esophagus. When LES weakens or fails to function, foods and stomach acids can flow back to the esophagus. Unlike stomach, esophagus does not have any lining to protect it from stomach acids, for which regurgitation of foods and acids produces a burning sensation in the chest and sometimes in the back of the throat.

Both conditions can also be triggered by a heavy meal or overeating. Eating too fast or eating spicy, and fatty or greasy foods too can cause indigestion and heartburn in certain individuals. Foods that trigger them can vary from one individual to another. In general, acidic foods, tomato and tomato based products, chocolate, fried foods, fatty and spicy foods, carbonated beverages, onion, garlic, citrus fruits, excessive alcohol consumption, caffeine or caffeinated beverages are considered as some of the common factors that can trigger these digestive problems. Apart from these, some other possible causes of indigestion are, smoking, gallbladder disease, gastric and duodenal ulcer, gastritis, pancreatitis, use of certain medications like, aspirin, antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hiatal hernia, excessive stress and stomach cancer.

Common Symptoms
As mentioned already, heartburn can be a sign of indigestion. However, apart from heartburn, indigestion can produce many other symptoms, affecting the upper abdomen and the chest. The more commonly observed indigestion symptoms are:

• Burning sensation in the chest behind the breastbone or heartburn
• Pain in the upper abdominal area and the chest
• Abdominal bloating
• Belching
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Flatulence
• A feeling of abdominal fullness
• Vomiting

Indigestion can occasionally produce some severe symptoms. Such symptoms are usually observed when indigestion is associated with an underlying health condition like, ulcer. Some of the serious indigestion symptoms that calls for immediate medical attention are:

• Blood in vomit
• Black, tarry stool
• Severe pain in the abdomen
• Unusual weight loss
• Stomach discomfort not related to eating

Heartburn, on the other hand, is generally a sign of acid reflux disease. Reflux of stomach acids and food back to the esophagus can produce the following symptoms.

• Burning sensation or pain in the chest, behind the breastbone
• Burning sensation in the throat
• Sour or acidic taste in the mouth
• Sore throat
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Coughing
• Hoarseness of voice
• Wheezing

Treatment
These two conditions are usually treated in the same way. Their treatment involves dietary and lifestyle changes along with medications. The medications that are normally used for getting relief from them are, antacids and H2 blockers. The dietary and lifestyle changes include, avoiding foods that trigger their symptoms, eating small frequent meals throughout the day instead of three large meals, avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol, quitting smoking, avoiding lying down immediately after having meal and sleeping in a slightly elevated position. Certain foods and home remedies can also prove effective in alleviating the painful symptoms of indigestion and heartburn. Some such foods and natural heartburn remedies are, ginger and ginger tea, chamomile tea, raw almonds, cold milk, honey, papaya, milk of raw coconut and lemon juice.

Regular physical activities too can help manage the symptoms of gastric and digestive problems. People suffering from these conditions should drink plenty of water throughout the day and chew their foods properly. However, if all these measures fail to provide relief, and their episodes are quite frequent, then consider to get the condition medically evaluated.