How to know if my chest pain is caused due to gas?

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By Medicover Hospitals / 28 March 2022

By Dr Manoj Ratnakar Bhambare
Consultant Surgical Gasteroentrologist
Published on 29/05/2022

Gas is a normal part of the digestive system's functioning, but feeling any kind of chest pain or discomfort can certainly be scary! It is perfectly normal to pass gas between 10 and 20 times a day. At the same time, it's understandable to worry if you feel chest pain after eating. After all, if it's gas, aren't you supposed to feel it in your stomach and not near your heart?
While you may just feel gas pain in your chest, this pain could also indicate a serious heart problem. Learn how to differentiate between the two types of pain and when is the right time for you or your loved one to see a doctor.

How To Know It Is Gas?

You may feel chest pain if gas has built up in your stomach or left colon. Gas can get trapped in your digestive tract when you swallow too much air. There are other diet-related reasons that may give you bloating near your chest. They include:

Food intolerance that is upsetting your digestive system and causing gas buildup.
Artificial sweeteners causing symptoms of digestive upset, including gas pains.
The carbon dioxide gas in carbonated beverages, such as sodas, can cause a feeling of air bubbles in the chest.
Eating a lot of high-fiber foods can cause too much fiber in the intestine, causing gas for longer periods of time.
Food poisoning can cause gas pain near the heart, along with fever, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or blood in the stool.

Do you feel discomfort after eating your favorite food? The burning sensation in the chest can be alarming! Consult our Gastroenterologists today!

What Causes Gas?

Gas pain is often felt in the lower chest and can be caused by something as simple as a bad reaction to certain foods or substances and having a sensitivity or allergy to certain foods can also cause gas pain. The following are the causes below:

Heartburn is a type of indigestion that is usually felt as a sharp burning sensation in the chest. It is caused by stomach acid leaking into the esophagus.
When someone has a food intolerance, it can upset the digestive system and cause additional gas. Gas accumulation can be caused by lactose intolerance or gluten sensitivity.
Eating contaminated food can cause food poisoning, which can also explain gas pain in the chest. A diet rich in artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol and xylitol, can cause digestive symptoms, including excess gas, in some people.
Excess carbonation can cause a person to burp, but it can also build up in the digestive tract and cause discomfort or pain.
If you swallow too much air, gas can build up in the gastrointestinal tract and cause a feeling of fullness in the chest and abdomen.
While high-fiber foods are good for your digestive system, eating too much of a certain type of fiber can cause excess gas.

Heart Pain Vs Chest Pain Due to Gas

Heart Pain	Gas Pain
Heart pain may often feel like gathering pressure in the center or left side of your chest.	Sharp pain or cramps in the stomach or abdomen. Pain can move around you and just as fast as the pain starts, it ends.
It intensifies before slowly dissipating, or it may continue to grow in severity.	If the pain is accompanied by abdominal pain, bloating, heartburn, or heartburn, it may be most likely related to gas in your chest.
Occurs Suddenly, symptoms don't depend upon anything you have eaten	There is a burning sensation in the stomach, which may spread to the chest.
Chest discomfort with, pressure, aching, burning, dizziness, sudden sweating, shortness of breath, etc are the signs.	It can happen soon after eating, while lying down or when you bend over, feeling like your stomach is in knots.

Conclusion

Harmless chest gas pain usually goes away quickly with over-the-counter medications. People with other symptoms associated with a more serious medical condition should seek urgent medical attention. If you have persistent and severe symptoms of chest pain, or if you have symptoms that last for more than 2 hours and do not respond to home treatment, you should see a doctor.

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