Heartburn or Heart Attack? Know the Symptoms

If you aren't sure whether you are having heartburn or something more serious -- like a heart attack -- you should get checked out, say experts at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The most common symptom of coronary heart disease is chest pain (angina) or discomfort, which can also occur in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back. People may mistake this pain for indigestion, which can be dangerous.

"Sometimes, it's impossible to tell the difference between the symptoms of heartburn, angina and heart attack," Prediman K. Shah, director of the Division of Cardiology and the Atherosclerosis Research Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said in a prepared statement.