Also called: Acid indigestion · Pyrosis
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Heartburn
Heartburn is a painful burning feeling in your chest or throat. It happens when stomach acid backs up into your esophagus, the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach.
If you have heartburn more than twice a week, you may have GERD. But you can have GERD without having heartburn.
Pregnancy, certain foods, alcohol, and some medications can bring on heartburn. Treating heartburn is important because over time reflux can damage the esophagus.
Over-the-counter medicines may help. If the heartburn continues, you may need prescription medicines or surgery.
If you have other symptoms such as crushing chest pain, it could be a heart attack. Get help immediately.
It sits within Digestive System and Symptoms.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Heartburn
199 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Potassium Competitive Acid Blocker (PCAB) Test-Guided vs Physiologic Test-Guided Treatment in Patients With Typical Reflux SymptomsMahidol University
- Volume-Oriented Incentive Spirometry-Assisted Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercise for Functional Heartburn or Reflux HypersensitivityChanghua Christian Hospital
- New Topical tReatment Options for Symptomatic patiEnts With Nonerosive gastroesophageaL Reflux dIsease (The RELIEF Trial)Cellmedis
- Study on Hydrotalcite for Relief of Acid Symptoms Due to Acid Rebound After Stopping Long-Term PPI TherapyBayer
- Antireflux Surgery Without Preoperative Esophageal ManometryMcMaster University
- Outcomes After Esophagectomy With a Focus on Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy and Quality of LifeUniversity of Pittsburgh
Research already completed
- Multi-Center Study of Panosyl-Isomaltooligosaccharides Adjunctive to PPI Therapy to Treat GERDMicrobiome Health Sciences
- A Clinical Trial of PepZinGI® for Acute Heartburn Relief and Sleep OutcomesNutriScience Innovations, LLC
- A Pre-market, Two-stages Interventional Clinical Investigation to Evaluate the Safety and the Performance of Fibroin Syrup in Reducing the Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Symptomatology in Nonerosive Reflux Disease (NERD) PatientsRose Pharma SA
- Trial of Itopride 150mg Once a Day Versus Itopride 50 mg Thrice a Day; in Patients With Functional DyspepsiaAbbott
- Effectiveness of a Butyrate Formulation and Butyrate + Polyphenol Formulation on Gut Health, Permeability and Associated SymptomsSupplement Formulators, Inc.
- A Clinical Study to Assess the Effectiveness of ENO Lime in Participants With Ajeerna Vyadhi (Acidity, Acid Indigestion, Indigestion, and Associated Nausea)HALEON
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Acid Reflux (GER and GERD) in AdultsNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- HeartburnAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
- HeartburnMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Diagnosis and Tests
- Esophageal pH TestNational Library of Medicine
- Heartburn or Heart Attack: When to WorryMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Upper GI SeriesNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Treatments and Therapies
- Antacids and Acid Reducers: OTC Relief for Heartburn and Acid RefluxAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
Related Issues
- GlobusInternational Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders
- How Can I Deal with Heartburn during Pregnancy?Nemours Foundation
- Warning: Aspirin-Containing Antacid Medicines Can Cause BleedingFood and Drug Administration
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Gastroesophageal RefluxNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: HeartburnNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Heartburn. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Heartburn, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.