What is the Difference Between Chest Pain and Gastric Pain

Chest pain and gastric pain are two different types of pain that occur in the upper body. Both these can be caused by gastrointestinal issues.

The key difference between chest pain and gastric pain is their location. Chest pain usually occurs in the centre or left side of the chest, while gastric pain usually occurs in the upper abdomen or lower chest.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Chest Pain 
3. What is Gastric Pain
4. Similarities – Chest Pain and Gastric Pain 
5. Chest Pain vs Gastric Pain in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Chest Pain vs Gastric Pain
7. FAQ – Chest Pain and Gastric Pain

What is Chest Pain?

Chest pain is a common medical condition that can be caused by different underlying issues. Chest pain may feel like a sharp, stabbing pain or a dull ache that occurs in the center or left side of the chest. Chest pain can be caused by heart-related issues (heart attack, angina, etc.), gastrointestinal tract-related issues (acid reflux, swallowing problems, etc.), lung-related issues (pneumonia, viral bronchitis, etc.), and other issues like shingles.

Moreover, the symptoms of this condition may include chest pressure, back, jaw or arm pain, fatigue, lightheadedness, dizziness, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, nausea, pain during exertion, a sour taste in the mouth, pain that only occurs after swallowing, difficulty swallowing, pain that is better or worse depending on the body position, pain that worsens when breathing deeply or coughing, pain accompanied by a rash, fever, aches, chills, runny nose, cough, feelings of anxiety, hyperventilating, and back pain that radiates to the front of the chest.

Chest pain can be diagnosed through physical examination, electrocardiogram, blood test, chest X-ray, echocardiogram, MRI, stress test, and angiogram. Furthermore, chest pain can be treated through medications, which may include nitroglycerin, clot-busting drugs, or blood thinners, cardiac catheterization, surgical repair of the arteries, lung reinflation for a collapsed lung, antacids or certain procedures for acid reflux and heartburn, and anti-anxiety medications.

What is Gastric Pain?

Gastric pain is also called dyspepsia. The symptoms of this condition may include pain or burning in the stomach, bloating, excessive belching or nausea after eating, an early feeling of fullness after eating, and stomach pain that occurs unrelated to meals or goes away when eating. It can be caused by eating heavy fatty meals, habits such as smoking, and medical conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Gastric pain can be diagnosed through physical examination, urine, blood or stool test, X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, double contrast barium enema, and endoscopy. Furthermore, gastric pain is treated through medications such as H2 blockers or histamine-2 blockers, including cimetidine, ranitidine, nizatidine, and famotidine, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) including omeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole, and esomeprazole and antibiotics.

Similarities Between Chest Pain and Gastric Pain

1. Chest pain and gastric pain are two different types of pain that occur in the upper body.
2. Both these can be caused by gastrointestinal issues.
3. Both these can be diagnosed through physical examination, blood test, and imaging tests.

Difference Between Chest Pain and Gastric Pain

Definition

1. Chest pain is a pain that may feel like a sharp, stabbing pain or a dull ache in the center or left side of the chest.
2. Gastric pain is a pain that may feel like mild, dull, sharp or severe pain in the upper abdomen or lower chest.

Causes

1. Chest pain may be caused by heart-related issues (such as heart attack, angina, etc.), gastrointestinal tract-related issues (such as acid reflux, swallowing problems, etc.), lung-related issues (such as pneumonia, viral bronchitis, etc.), or other issues such as shingles.
2. Gastric pain can be triggered by heavy, fatty meals, lifestyle choices such as smoking, or medical conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Symptoms

1. Chest pain symptoms can include chest pressure, pain in the back, jaw, or arm, fatigue, lightheadedness, dizziness, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, nausea, pain during exertion, a sour taste in the mouth, pain that occurs only after swallowing, difficulty swallowing, hyperventilation, and back pain that radiates to the front of the chest.
2. Gastric pain may present as pain or burning in the stomach, bloating, excessive belching or nausea after eating, an early feeling of fullness after eating, or stomach pain that is unrelated to meals or alleviated by eating.

Diagnosis

1. For chest pain, diagnosis may involve a physical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG), blood test, chest X-ray, echocardiogram, MRI, stress test, and angiogram.
2. Gastric pain may be diagnosed through a physical examination, urine, blood, or stool tests, X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, double-contrast barium enema, and endoscopy.

Treatment

1. Chest pain may be treated with nitroglycerin, clot-busting drugs, blood thinners, cardiac catheterization, surgical repair of the arteries, lung reinflation for a collapsed lung, antacids for acid reflux and heartburn, and anti-anxiety medications.
2. Gastric pain may be treated with medications such as H2 blockers (e.g., cimetidine, ranitidine, nizatidine, and famotidine), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as omeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole, and esomeprazole, and antibiotics.

The following table summarizes the difference between chest pain and gastric pain.

Summary – Chest Pain vs Gastric Pain

Chest pain and gastric pain are two different types of pain that usually occur in the upper human body. Chest pain may feel like a sharp, stabbing pain or a dull ache that occurs in the center or left side of the chest. Gastric pain may feel like mild, dull, sharp, or severe pain that occurs in the upper abdomen or lower chest. Furthermore, chest pain is caused by heart-related issues, gastrointestinal tract-related issues, lung-related issues, and other issues like shingles. On the other hand, gastric pain is caused by heavy, fatty meals, habits such as smoking, and other medical conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This is the summary of the difference between chest pain and gastric pain.

FAQ: Chest Pain and Gastric Pain

1. How does it know if chest pain is serious?

• If someone experiences a sudden, crushing chest pain or if their chest pain radiates into the jaw or the left arm, it can be serious chest pain. These types of chest pain also cause shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.

2. Where is chest pain located?

• Chest pain is a sense of discomfort in any area of the chest, mainly occurring in the center or left side of the chest. It may spread to other areas of the upper body, including the arms, neck, or jaw. Chest pains can be sharp or dull. People may also feel tightness or achiness.

3. What are the most common non-cardiac causes of chest pain?

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esophageal muscle spasms, achalasia, esophageal hypersensitivity, inflammation of the esophagus, and abnormal esophageal tissue are the most common non-cardiac causes of chest pain.

4. What does gastric pain feel like normally?

• Gastric pain is a feeling of discomfort in the area between the belly button and rib, particularly in the upper abdomen and lower chest. Almost everyone experiences gastric pain at least once in their lifetime, and it can be mild to severe.

5. How do you treat gastric pain?

• The treatments for gastric pain include medications such as H2 blockers, or histamine-2 blockers, which include cimetidine, rantidine, nizatidine, and famotidine, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which include omeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole, and esomeprazole.

Reference:

1. Moores, Danielle. “Why Am I Having Chest Pain?” Healthline, Healthline Media.
2. “Gastric Pain: Treatment and Prevention Tips.” HealthXchange.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Depiction of a person suffering from chest pain” By Myupchar.com (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Woman Holding Half-full Glass and White Medicine Pill” (CC0) via Pexels