Virtually everyone has experienced heartburn at one time or another, and usually having a case of indigestion or heartburn is not going to cause you a lot of problems or be something so serious that it requires medical intervention.  However, it's important to know the acid reflux symptoms and when an occasional bout of heartburn or indigestion should be considered acid reflux, because this disease is actually very serious and needs to be addressed.

Acid reflux symptoms typically mimic those of heartburn.  There is a burning sensation that can radiate anywhere from the stomach to the mouth.  This burning feeling can be slightly uncomfortable to downright painful.  It may actually happen in the chest area closer to the throat than just along the stomach area.  Other acid reflux symptoms, along with the burning, include pressure and squeezing in the chest, especially after you've eaten.  This pressure can also radiate from the stomach all the way up to the throat and can be slightly uncomfortable to downright debilitating.  Some report that the pressure is so bad that they have a hard time even moving, as this just increases the discomfort in this area.  Many acid reflux symptoms are like that - they cause discomfort to the point where the sufferer does not want to move so as to not make the pain any worse.

Other acid reflux symptoms include a pressure or choking sensation when you swallow food.  Patients report being very aware of the food moving down the esophagus, something that you shouldn't be feeling.  This is usually happening when a person develops strictures, which are tiny holes or erosions in the esophagus due to acid reflux.  Strictures are actually very dangerous and can lead to ulcers and internal bleeding.  The biggest problem that most patients have with these acid reflux symptoms of strictures and holes in the esophagus is the pain they feel when eating.  Meals can be very uncomfortable and even downright painful, while eating and afterwards as well.  Sometimes patients begin to neglect good dietary habits as soft foods are less painful to swallow, and they soon start to lack the vitamins and amino acids they would get from protein and other such foods.

It's also true that many acid reflux symptoms mimic those of a heart attack or other heart condition.  The pressure and squeezing one feels in the chest area can be mistaken for a heart attack, and vice versa - a person can be having heart problems but mistake those symptoms for acid reflux symptoms.  In either case, a patient can be subjected to unnecessary medical tests as emergency personnel assume he or she is having a heart attack, or a person can assume their heart attack is acid reflux.  Both scenarios are very dangerous.

If you have any acid reflux symptoms, it's important that you speak to your doctor and have it treated properly.  You need to make sure your chest pains aren't the signs of a heart attack, and also need to be sure you're not doing untold damage to your digestive system.