What is the Heartburn?
Heartburn is a pain behind the breast bone, often described as ‘burning’ in quality. Pain can also be felt at the same level in the mid-line of the back. Most people suffer from heartburn at one time or another. In fact heartburn has nothing to do with the heart - it is a digestive problem. Heartburn is generally related to meals and posture and can often be relieved by remedies for indigestion.
Pain from the heart is also felt in the chest and sometimes in the upper abdomen. There are two kinds of heart pain. The first, angina, is a pain in the chest due to a temporary shortage of oxygen being carried in the blood to the heart muscle. Angina should be suspected if the chest pain is brought on by exercise and relieved by rest. The second is the more severe and prolonged pain of a heart attack. A heart attack should be suspected if the pain is felt intensely in the centre of the chest, spreading perhaps to one or both arms (especially the left) and into the lower jaw; or feels like a heavy pressure or is ‘vice-like’.
Potentially dangerous confusion can arise when someone neglects their heart pain believing it to be heartburn.

What Causes Heartburn?
Acid is present in the stomach to digest food. Heartburn occurs when small amounts of this acid rise up into the gullet (oesophagus) - the tube which carries food from the mouth to the stomach. This is called reflux.
The gullet, unlike the stomach, does not have a protective lining. So when it is exposed to the acid, it can become inflamed and painful.