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EspañolWhat causes burping and chest pain? Related conditions and treatments
Overview: What do burping and chest pain feel like?
Burping and chest pain might seem like an odd combination, but they often happen together for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, there’s little reason to worry. Gas, heartburn, indigestion, and other common but non-threatening medical conditions can cause it. However, they may indicate more serious digestive tract problems or worse.
Burping and chest pain are classic signs of a heart attack or heart disease, but that doesn’t mean that every time a person experiences chest pain and starts belching, it’s time to rush to an emergency room. The type of chest pain and other symptoms can indicate what’s going on in the body. While burping is burping, chest pain can vary depending on the cause. It can be mild chest discomfort, a burning sensation, a sharp pain, or a feeling like the chest is being crushed. It can develop slowly or hit like a lightning strike. Depending on the cause, people might have other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, shoulder pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, or other issues.
RELATED: What causes acid reflux chest pain? Related conditions and treatments
Key takeaways:
Burping and chest pain are common symptoms that may be caused by excess gas, digestive system disorders, or heart problems.
Typically, burping and chest pain do not require immediate medical attention, depending on the nature of the chest pain and other symptoms.
Burping and chest pain generally do not require treatment unless the chest pain is severe and has other symptoms. It typically resolves without treatment in less than a day, depending on the cause.
Treatments for burping and chest pain vary by cause. Learn more about treatments for GERD, SIBO, Crohn’s disease, and asthma.
Burping and chest pain can be managed by dietary changes, lifestyle changes, heating pads, and abdominal massage.
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What causes burping and chest pain?
The causes of burping and chest pain are gas pain, stomach acid reflux, and heart problems.
Gas pain occurs when gas builds up in the digestive system and can be caused by food intolerances or serious digestive tract problems, such as infections. The most common symptoms include belching, flatulence, bloating, and pain or cramping in the abdomen. The chest pain can feel like chest discomfort, tightness, stabbing, or a burning sensation. Common causes of gas pain include:
Food intolerances like lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance
Consuming too many artificial sweeteners
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Gallbladder diseases or gallstones
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)—Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
People with gallstones typically feel a sharp, constant pain under the breastbone and upper right abdomen. This pain can spread to the back or right shoulder.
Stomach acid reflux occurs when the stomach contents spill up into the esophagus. Pain is the most obvious symptom. The chest pain usually feels like a burning sensation right below the sternum. In these cases, burping and chest pain can be caused by:
Heartburn
Indigestion
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Belching and chest pain are also one of several symptoms people feel when they’re having heart problems:
Angina (pain due to restricted blood flow to the heart)
Heart attack
Chest pain due to heart problems can feel like chest discomfort or the feeling that the chest is being squeezed below the breastbone. It can also be a dull pain or a sharp, stabbing pain. The pain can spread to the shoulders, arms, back, neck, or jaw. Other symptoms include lightheadedness, shortness of breath, and weakness.
Less common causes of burping and chest pain might be asthma, but GERD can trigger an asthma attack as well as cause burping and chest pain.
RELATED: 24 causes of chest pain in adults—and how to treat it
Should I be worried about burping and chest pain?
Burping and chest pain are usually not a cause for worry. Gas and stomach acid are the most common causes of these discomforts.
Pay attention to all the symptoms. If there’s a serious health condition, there will probably be other symptoms that aren’t typical of gas or heartburn. See a doctor if the pain is constant or if there are other symptoms like fever, diarrhea, vomiting, or yellowing skin. Symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, high fever, or watery diarrhea are symptoms of a severe gastrointestinal condition and require prompt medical care. Go to an emergency room if you’re having symptoms of a heart attack, such as shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and chest pain that spreads to other parts of the upper body.
RELATED: 15 signs of heart problems worth worrying about
How is the cause of burping and chest pain diagnosed?
Depending on the symptoms, most people who see a healthcare professional will make an appointment with a primary care provider when they’re worried about burping, chest pain, and other symptoms. For many causes of burping and chest pain, all that’s required is a history of the symptoms, a medical history, and a physical examination. The clinician may take an electrocardiogram (EKG) for heart-related risk factors.
If the clinician suspects a more serious digestive tract illness, a specialist in digestive system diseases called a gastroenterologist may be required. Other tests such as blood tests, X-rays, ultrasound, MRI, endoscopy, or biopsy may be needed. The clinician may use a specialized test to measure acid levels in the esophagus.
If the problem is due to angina, the problem has usually passed by the time a doctor is involved. Angina is typically a short-term symptom that improves when people rest or lie down. The clinician will perform some tests, like an EKG, but refer the person to a heart doctor (cardiologist) for further testing if there are problems with the coronary arteries.
For a heart attack, go to an urgent care center or emergency room. Physicians typically begin treatment immediately based on vital signs, symptoms, EKG monitoring, and blood tests to identify substances in the blood that become elevated during a heart attack. A cardiologist makes a definitive and detailed diagnosis using a medical history, physical exam, EKG, blood tests, and imaging tests like a chest X-ray, chest CT scan, echocardiogram, or coronary artery imaging.
How long does burping and chest pain last?
Most causes of burping and chest pain are temporary episodes that will fade in a few minutes or hours. Some may require home remedies or medical treatment to get better. Some burping and chest pain causes may have other symptoms that don’t get better over time, but the burping or chest pain may pass. The most serious cause of burping and chest pain, a heart attack, requires emergency medical treatment.
How to stop burping and chest pain
Burping and chest pain treatments will depend on the cause.
The most common cause of burping and chest pain is gas buildup. It’s usually due to something you ate, so the treatment is to stop eating foods that make you gassy. In some cases, though, gas buildup and pain can be due to infections or gallbladder problems, which will require medical treatment.
Stomach acid problems are also easily treated by changing what you eat when you eat it and what you do afterward. A doctor or other healthcare professional can provide guidelines for dietary changes that can reduce the incidence of heartburn or acid reflux. Over-the-counter medications like antacids, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and H2 blockers can help reduce the incidence of acid issues. GERD is primarily treated the same way, but a clinician may also prescribe a medication that speeds up the emptying of the stomach.
Angina and heart attacks are much more involved and complex. Besides emergency treatment, people will be placed under the care of a cardiologist. They may require surgery and a variety of medications to prevent complications of the heart attack or to prevent another heart attack. Most people with angina or a past heart attack will require regular monitoring and testing in the years following.
RELATED: Heartburn and GERD: How to treat nausea and stomachaches
Living with burping and chest pain
For most people who repeatedly experience burping and chest pain, the problem is usually due to gas or stomach acid. Their most sturdy treatment option is to prevent gas buildup or acid reflux. Most of these preventive measures involve food:
Avoid foods that you know trigger a gas attack or stomach acid reflux
Keep a symptom diary to identify trigger foods that you can avoid in the future
Eat a diet high in fiber
Eat slowly and mindfully
Avoid eating when you’re stressed or in a hurry
Avoid carbonated drinks
Don’t lie down after eating
Don’t eat right before bedtime
Don’t wear tight clothing
Chew gum if the problem is stomach acid
Avoid chewing gum if the problem is gas buildup
Exercise—if the problem is gas, try to walk or move around after eating
RELATED: The best diet for acid reflux: 3 foods to eat—and 8 to avoid
Most importantly, if you think it’s a heart attack, get medical help
If you think you’re having symptoms of a heart attack, get medical help immediately. People who repeatedly deal with gas buildup or acid reflux usually recognize their symptoms. People without that experience might be alarmed by burping and chest pain.
Promptly consult a doctor if you experience unusual chest pain that persists for an extended period or differs from your typical sensations, especially if you commonly associate such discomfort with gas or stomach acid.
It is better to be safe and see a doctor as soon as possible if chest pain is unusual, long-lasting, or feels different than it normally does if it’s commonly experienced because of gas or stomach acid.
What’s next? Additional resources for people with burping and chest pain
Test and diagnostics
Acid reflux/GERD overview, American College of Gastroenterology
Gas, bloating, and belching: approach to evaluation and management, American Family Physician
Treatments
Asthma treatments and medications, SingleCare
Belching, gas, and bloating: tips for reducing them, Mayo Clinic
Crohn’s disease treatments and medications, SingleCare
GERD treatments and medications, SingleCare
SIBO treatments and medications, SingleCare
Scientific studies and clinical trials
Belching, regurgitation, chest tightness, and dyspnea: not gastroesophageal reflux disease but asthma, World Journal of Gastroenterology