Issue Date: February 10, 2008
Heartburn can cause chest pain, coughs
2 surprising links to reflux
Symptoms of GERD
- Frequent or persistent heartburn
- Wheezing or coughing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Sour or acidic taste in mouth/throat
- Chest pain
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People with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) know its classic symptoms: heartburn and acid regurgitation as stomach contents surge up into the esophagus. Now, two new studies suggest that GERD also can be a common cause of severe chest pain or chronic cough.
Chest pain. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that GERD, not heart trouble, was the culprit in about 16% of ER cases of patients complaining of chest pain. "We were really surprised," says Julia J. Liu, M.D., now at the University of Alberta in Canada. Caution: Never assume that persistent chest pain is caused by GERD, Liu says. Instead, seek emergency care. If a thorough evaluation turns up no heart causes, a screening for GERD might help identify the pain's cause.
Chronic cough. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston followed patients with a persistent cough who had been taking PPIs (proton pump inhibitors), drugs that neutralize stomach acid but don't end reflux. These patients didn't feel acid heartburn, but the flow into their throats still triggered coughs. Deepika Koya, M.D., suggests that people who take PPIs and have a persistent cough talk to theirdoctors about MII-pH, a reflux test that may indicate surgery as a solution.
-- Peggy J. Noonan
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