Is It Heartburn Or Something Else?

A feeling of burning or tightness in the chest can often leave sufferers with the immediate assumption that what they are feeling are classic signs of heartburn or acid reflux. In most cases, this assumption is accurate. However, these same symptoms are also associated with other, potentially serious conditions. Therefore, they should never be ignored, and determining which, if any, are responsible for bothersome symptoms is important to maintaining health and finding relief.

Could the tightness, burning and general discomfort in your chest actually be an indicator of angina, esophagitis, or a peptic ulcer? Could your body be trying to clue you into the fact that there is a larger, underlying problem involved? The sooner you get the answers to these questions, the sooner you can put your mind at ease and find an effective treatment protocol. To begin, request an appointment with a gastroenterologist. These physicians are specialists in all manner of digestive diseases and are skilled in their evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.

To learn more about conditions that may be mistaken for heartburn, take a look at the informative infographic below. Then, contact our office to request an appointment with one of our Baton Rouge gastroenterology physicians.