Heart or heartburn?

Heart and esophagus are intimately connected. It is not just that many a times we can not differentiate between heartburn of GERD versus the heart attack. Acid in the esophagus has been known to affect coronary blood flow as well as heart rhythm.

Dr. Gerson and colleagues from the Stanford University School of Medicine recently reported on a series of three patients who had symptoms of abnormal heart rhythm as well as heartburn (GERD). Simultaneous recordings of heart rhythm as well as gastroesophageal reflux events were performed. The findings were reported in the Journal of Gastroenterology (October 2006).

Patients were treated with powerful acid suppression using proton pump inhibitors. Symptoms improved in all of the patients further reinforcing the premise that heart and esophagus are connected.

The mechanism of therapeutic action may be via the nerves connecting the heart and esophagus or cardio-esophageal reflexes. The authors concluded that patients with both abnormal heart rhythms arrhythmias) and chronic heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease should undergo a trial of acid suppression for relief of their cardiac symptoms.