For most people, the chief symptom of acid reflux is heartburn, also called acid indigestion. Heartburn is a burning-type pain in the chest behind the breast bone that can sometimes spread to include the throat and may also cause a bad taste in the mouth. The pain may also occur in the upper or middle abdomen. Heartburn has nothing to do with the heart, but gets its name because the pain is often located in the same region as the heart. GERD often causes additional symptoms which may include:

• difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
• coughing, wheezing, asthma, hoarseness or sore throat
• regurgitation of food or sour liquid
• sharp chest pain that is worst when lying down

Some adults and most children with acid reflux have no heartburn symptoms. For these people, the symptoms may include a dry cough, difficulty swallowing, or asthma-like difficulty breathing.