Does heartburn feel like a heart attack?

Ask the doctor

Published: October, 2017

Q. Is it true that chest pain can sometimes be caused by heartburn?

A. It surely is true. Heartburn is called that because it causes a burning sensation in the middle of your chest, near where your heart is. Yet heartburn is not a condition of the heart: it is a condition of the stomach and esophagus (the tube that carries food and drink from the throat, through the chest, and into the stomach). Confusing? Let me explain.

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