Heartburn

Heartburn records a reported burning symptom, graded by subjective severity. It does not measure stomach acidity, reflux episodes or injury to the esophagus.

Apple uses HKCategoryValueSeverity for this type. Unspecified and notPresent mean different things. The codes identify labels; an average such as 2.5 is not a symptom measurement or a validated clinical score. Missing entries are unknown, not automatically notPresent.

NHS guidance describes reflux symptoms as often worse after eating, lying down or bending over. A diary can therefore record when symptoms occurred relative to meals and posture. Those details are not built into the severity code. A nutrition entry timestamp may be a saved logging time rather than an exact meal time, so avoid automatic minute-by-minute trigger claims.

Bloating and Nausea are separate symptoms that may add context. Repeated heartburn entries do not establish a diagnosis of gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Likewise, chest discomfort should not be relabeled as heartburn merely because another entry has a similar timestamp.

This is a logged observation, with no guaranteed recording frequency. Gaps between start times describe the saved logging history, not symptom-free intervals. Source changes, retrospective entry and overlapping records can change the apparent pattern. A sample's start and end describe the interval the source saved; they do not establish a distinct clinical episode or continuous symptom duration.

When summarizing a history, keep the category labels, reporting dates and source visible. Count explicitly absent observations separately from missing days. Review unexpected labels or repeated overlapping records before treating them as changes in health.

Arrange medical review for heartburn most days, symptoms that do not improve, difficulty swallowing, frequent vomiting or unexplained weight loss. The NHS reference below explains appropriate follow-up; the app timeline is a symptom history, not a diagnostic test.

No records of this type were found in the database research window, so severity frequencies, source differences and logging patterns could not be measured. This HealthKit type is not listed in the current PulsHealth sync catalog. Database coverage therefore cannot establish whether corresponding records exist in Apple Health, and an empty timeline does not establish symptom absence.