Dyspepsia

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Topic Overview

Dyspepsia is a common condition and usually describes a group of symptoms rather than one predominant symptom. These symptoms include:

• Belly pain or discomfort.
• Bloating.
• Feeling uncomfortably full after eating.
• Nausea.
• Loss of appetite.
• Heartburn.
• Burping up food or liquid (regurgitation).
• Burping.

Most people will experience some symptoms of dyspepsia within their lifetimes.

Common causes of dyspepsia include:

• Burped-up stomach juices and gas (regurgitation or reflux) caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or a hiatal hernia.
• A disorder that affects movement of food through the intestines, such as irritable bowel syndrome.
• Peptic (stomach) ulcer or duodenal ulcer.
• An inability to digest milk and dairy products (lactose intolerance).
• Gallbladder pain (biliary colic) or inflammation (cholecystitis).
• Anxiety or depression.
• Side effects of caffeine, alcohol, or medicines. Examples of medicines that may cause dyspepsia are aspirin and similar drugs, antibiotics, steroids, digoxin, and theophylline.
• Swallowed air.
• Stomach cancer.

You can make changes to your lifestyle to help relieve your symptoms of dyspepsia. Here are some things to try:

• Change your eating habits.
  • It's best to eat several small meals instead of two or three large meals.
  • After you eat, wait 2 to 3 hours before you lie down. Late-night snacks aren't a good idea.
  • Chocolate, mint, and alcohol can make dyspepsia worse. They relax the valve between the esophagus and the stomach.
  • Spicy foods, foods that have a lot of acid (like tomatoes and oranges), and coffee can make dyspepsia worse in some people. If your symptoms are worse after you eat a certain food, you may want to stop eating that food to see if your symptoms get better.
• Do not smoke or chew tobacco.
• If you get dyspepsia at night, raise the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches by putting the frame on blocks or placing a foam wedge under the head of your mattress. (Adding extra pillows does not work.)
• Do not wear tight clothing around your middle.
• Lose weight if you need to. Losing just 5 to 10 pounds can help.

Treatment depends on what is causing the problem. If no specific cause is found, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms with medicine.