How often does the gut cause anginal pain?

Gastrointestinal disease imitates angina quite commonly and the oesophagus is usually responsible, both in patients presenting as emergencies and also in those who have been extensively investigated for apparent angina. A questionnaire study of 22 patients with oesophageal spasm and 15 patients with coronary artery disease failed to show any feature that discriminates reliably between these groups.