Or it may be gastric reflux. Some studies indicate that about 15 percent of Americans are troubled by that burning sensation behind the breastbone. That powerful stomach acid spewing upward into an area not equipped to handle it is what causes that characteristic pain in the chest. Pizza, Mertz noted, nicely combines the spicy with the greasy. Considering that pizza is often consumed with a caffinated drink or beer, it is sort of the perfect food for heartburn.
Some medications can cause heartburn.
Obese people are more prone to heartburn. And if you lie down with your stomach full it can make the problem worse. It can cause other symptoms or conditions such as laryngitis or hoarseness, coughing, and may cause ulcers in the esophagus, and even narrowing of the esophagus. It can even lead to pre-cancerous changes in the esophagus. Mertz says he usually tries to ask questions that reveal the severity of the heartburn problem.