Millions of individuals complain of abdominal distension. It is estimated that close to 25% of the US population has some degree of abdominal distension on a regular basis. However, many people do not describe in an accurate way what exactly is their ailment. Some describe it as belching Belching involves the release of gas from the digestive tract (mainly esophagus and stomach) through the mouth. It is usually accompanied with a typical sound and, at times, an odor. In most parts of the world, especially in formal situations, audible burping is considered impolite. Public belching tends to be received in a manner similar to, others claim they feel nausea Nausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an urge to vomit. An attack of nausea is known as a qualm and yet others say they pass excessive gas Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The mixture of gases is known as flatus, fart, or simply gas, and is expelled from the rectum in a process colloquially referred to as "passing gas", "breaking wind" or "farting&. Abdominal bloating is a sensation of feeling uncomfortably full and the presence of abdominal rumbling sounds.[1] Abdominal distension is not associated with pain but mild cramps Cramps are unpleasant, often painful sensations caused by muscle contraction or overshortening. The common causes of skeletal muscle cramps are muscle fatigue and a sodium imbalance. Smooth muscle cramps may be due to menstruation or Gastroenteritis may occur. Surveys indicate that the majority of people who have abdominal bloating describe it as intense and nearly fifty percent seek some type of over-the-counter remedy.[citation needed]
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Causes
Experts believe that the major cause of abnormal bloating is excessive eating, and sleeping swallowing Swallowing, known scientifically as deglutition, is the process in the human or animal body that makes something pass from the mouth, to the pharynx, into the esophagus, with the shutting of the epiglottis. If this fails and the object goes through the trachea, then choking or pulmonary aspiration can occur. In the human body it is controlled by or what is known as aerophagia. Other causes of bloating are irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any detectable organic cause. In some cases, the symptoms are relieved by bowel movements. Diarrhea or constipation may predominate, or they may, diabetes Diabetes mellitus —often simply referred to as diabetes—is a condition in which a person has a high blood sugar (glucose) level, either because the body doesn't produce enough insulin, or because body cells don't properly respond to the insulin that is produced. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which enables body cells to absorb, functional dyspepsia Dyspepsia , also known as upset stomach or indigestion, refers to a condition of impaired digestion. It is a medical condition characterized by chronic or recurrent pain in the upper abdomen, upper abdominal fullness and feeling full earlier than expected when eating. It can be accompanied by bloating, belching, nausea, or heartburn. Dyspepsia is or transient constipation Constipation refers to bowel movements that are infrequent and hard to pass. Constipation is a common cause of painful defecation. Severe constipation includes obstipation and fecal impaction (see also Bowel obstruction). In rare cases, bloating may occur in individuals who have milk intolerance (lactose intolerance), parasite Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the host infections An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host's resources to multiply, usually at the expense of the host. The infecting organism, or pathogen, interferes with the normal functioning of the host and can lead to chronic wounds, gangrene, loss like giardia Giardia is a genus of anaerobic flagellated protozoan parasites of the phylum Metamonada in the supergroup "Excavata" that colonise and reproduce in the small intestines of several vertebrates, causing giardiasis. Their life cycle alternates between an actively swimming trophozoite and an infective, resistant cyst. The genus was named, food poisoning (bacteria The bacteria ( [bækˈtɪəriə] ; singular: bacterium)[α] are a large group of single-celled, prokaryote microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals. Bacteria are ubiquitous in every habitat on Earth, growing in soil, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste,), coeliac disease, severe peptic ulcer A peptic ulcer, also known as ulcus pepticum, PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is an ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. As many as 80% of ulcers are associated with Helicobacter pylori, a spiral-shaped bacterium that lives in the acidic environment of the stomach, however only 40% of those disease, bowel obstruction Bowel obstruction is a mechanical or functional obstruction of the intestines, preventing the normal transit of the products of digestion. It can occur at any level distal to the duodenum of the small intestine and is a medical emergency. Although many cases are not treated surgically, it is a surgical problem or after certain types of abdominal surgery. Heart failure Heart failure is generally defined as inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. It has various diagnostic criteria, and the term heart failure is often incorrectly used to describe other cardiac-related illnesses, such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) or cardiac arrest and cirrhosis Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules (lumps that occur as a result of a process in which damaged tissue is regenerated), leading to loss of liver function. Cirrhosis is most commonly caused by alcoholism, hepatitis B and C, and fatty liver are also a common cause of distension. In both of these disorders, fluid accumulates in the abdomen and creates a sensation of fullness. Women are more prone to bloating and often complain about these symptoms during menstruation.[2] It is believed that individuals who develop distension either have poor motility Motility is a biological term which refers to the ability to move spontaneously and actively, consuming energy in the process. Most animals are motile but the term applies to single-celled and simple multicellular organisms, as well as to some mechanisms of fluid flow in multicellular organs, in addition to animal locomotion. Motile marine animals of their intestines In human anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine. In humans, the small intestine is further subdivided into the duodenum, jejunum and ileum while the large intestine is subdivided into or are hypersensitive Hypersensitivity refers to undesirable (damaging, discomfort-producing and sometimes fatal) reactions produced by the normal immune system. Hypersensitivity reactions require a pre-sensitized (immune) state of the host. The four-group classification was expounded by P. H. G. Gell and Robin Coombs in 1963 to gut sensations.[3] Experts believe that in most cases, the combination of swallowed air and fluid in the abdomen creates a swirling sensation in the bowels that leads to bloating. Moreover, when the intestines are swollen with air, they push up against the diaphragm The pelvic floor or pelvic diaphragm is composed of muscle fibers of the levator ani, the coccygeus, and associated connective tissue which span the area underneath the pelvis. The pelvic diaphragm is a muscular partition formed by the levatores ani and coccygei, with which may be included the parietal pelvic fascia on their upper and lower and can induce a sensation of pressure in the lower chest. Studies have shown that swallowing air during eating or delayed emptying of the stomach from hyperacidity leads to bloating after a meal. Individuals who are constipated also complain of bloating. In some individuals who are hypersensitive, any volume of air may be perceived as fullness and there may not be actual abdominal distension. In some individuals with abdominal bloating, there may be an increasing abdominal girth either from fluid or air accumulation.[4]
Abdominal distension (or "distended abdomen") can be a sign of many other conditions, including:
- Coeliac disease Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward. Symptoms include chronic diarrhoea, failure to thrive (in children), and fatigue, but these may be absent, and symptoms in other organ systems have been described. A growing portion of diagnoses are
- Tropical sprue Tropical sprue is a malabsorption disease commonly found in the tropical regions, marked with abnormal flattening of the villi and inflammation of the lining of the small intestine. It differs significantly from coeliac sprue
- Small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome Small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome , or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), also termed bacterial overgrowth; is a disorder of excessive bacterial growth in the small intestine. Unlike the colon (or large bowel), which is rich with bacteria, the small bowel usually has less than 104 organisms per millilitre. Patients with
- Kwashiorkor Kwashiorkor is an acute form of childhood protein-energy malnutrition characterized by edema, irritability, anorexia, ulcerating dermatoses, and an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates. The presence of edema caused by poor nutrition defines kwashiorkor. Kwashiorkor was thought to be caused by insufficient protein consumption but with sufficient
- Eosinophilic gastroenteritis Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare and heterogeneous condition characterized by patchy or diffuse eosinophilic infiltration of gastrointestinal (GI) tissue, first described by Kaijser in 1937 . Presentation may vary depending on location as well as depth and extent of bowel wall involvement and usually runs a chronic relapsing course. It can
- Giardiasis Giardiasis or beaver fever in humans is a diarrheal infection of the small intestine by a single-celled organism called Giardia lamblia. Giardiasis occurs worldwide with a prevalence of 20–30% in developing countries. In the USA, 20,000 cases are reported to the CDC annually, but the true annual incidence is estimated at 2 million people
- Strongyloidiasis Strongyloidiasis is a human parasitic disease caused by the nematode Strongyloides stercoralis. Other Strongyloides include S. fülleborni, which infects chimpanzees and baboons and may produce limited infections in humans
- Coccidiosis Coccidia are microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled parasites belonging to the apicomplexan class Conoidasida. Coccidian parasites infect the intestinal tracts of animals, and are the largest group of apicomplexan protozoa
- Capillaria philippinensis
- Hookworm Disease
- Whipple's disease Whipple's disease is a rare, systemic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei. First described by George Hoyt Whipple in 1907 and commonly considered a gastrointestinal disorder, Whipple's disease primarily causes malabsorption but may affect any part of the body including the heart, lungs, brain, joints, and eyes. Weight
- Ascites Mild ascites is hard to notice, but severe ascites leads to abdominal distension. Patients with ascites generally will complain of progressive abdominal heaviness and pressure as well as shortness of breath due to mechanical impingement on the diaphragm
- Diverticulitis Diverticulitis is a common digestive disease particularly found in the large intestine. Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches on the outside of the colon. Diverticulitis results if one of these diverticula becomes inflamed
- Fasciolosis
- Kidney stones Kidney stones result from stones or renal calculi (from Latin ren, renes, "kidney" and calculi, "pebbles") in the ureter. The stones are solid concretions or calculi (crystal aggregations) formed in the kidneys from dissolved urinary minerals. Nephrolithiasis (from Greek νεφρός (nephros, "kidney") and λιθoς (
- Lactose intolerance Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, because of a lack of the required enzyme lactase in the digestive system. It is estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase activity during adulthood. The frequency of decreased lactase activity ranges from as little as 5% in northern Europe, up to 71% for Sicily,
- Obstructed bowel
- Polycystic liver disease Polycystic liver disease usually describes the presence of multiple cysts scattered throughout the normal liver tissue, in association with Polycystic kidney disease
- Pregnancy Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the womb of a female. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets. Human pregnancy is the most studied of all mammalian pregnancies. Childbirth usually occurs about 38 weeks after conception; i.e., approximately 40 weeks
- Premenstrual syndrome Premenstrual syndrome (also called PMT or premenstrual tension) is a collection of physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms related to a woman's menstrual cycle. While most women of child-bearing age (up to 85%) report having ever experienced physical symptoms related to normal ovulatory function, such as bloating or breast tenderness,
- Weight gain Weight gain is an increase in body weight. This can be either an increase in muscle mass, fat deposits, or excess fluids such as water
- Ovarian cancer Most ovarian cancers are classified as "epithelial" and were believed to arise from the surface (epithelium) of the ovary. However, recent evidence suggests that the Fallopian tube could also be the source of some ovarian cancers. Since the ovaries and tubes are closely related to each other, it is hypothesized that these cells can mimic
Treatment
Consumers should understand that bloating is not life threatening and there is no need to rush to a physician A physician—also known as doctor of medicine, medical doctor, or simply doctor—practices the ancient profession of medicine, which is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease or injury. This properly requires both a detailed knowledge of the academic disciplines underlying every time an episode occurs. In most cases, bloating can be handled with simple home remedies and changes in life style. However, when bloating has been persistent or recurrent. It is wise to see a physician to ensure that there is no organic cause for the problem. Physicians usually check stools Human Feces , also known as stools, is the waste product of the human digestive system and varies significantly in appearance, depending on the state of the whole digestive system, influenced and found by diet and health. Normally stools are semisolid, with a mucus coating. Small pieces of harder, less moist feces can sometimes be seen impacted on for parasites and ensure that you are not ill with dyspepsia.
Foods
Certain foods have been known to worsen bloating. Foods that are not digested are excreted into the large intestine where they are degraded by bacteria with resultant production of excess gas. Excess dietary fiber It acts by changing the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract, and by changing how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed. Soluble fiber absorbs water to become a gelatinous, viscous substance and is fermented by bacteria in the digestive tract. Insoluble fiber has bulking action and is not fermented, although a major dietary intake is a known cause of belching, gas and bloating. More than 20-25 grs of dietary fiber per day is not recommended. If bloating occurs each time after eating fiber foods, then one should avoid such foods. Other foods known to induce bloating include artificial sweeteners A sugar substitute is a food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. Those that are not natural are, in general, called artificial sweeteners and consumption of cola beverages. There are many individuals who are unable to tolerate dairy products because of lactose intolerance. Such foods should be eliminated from diet if symptoms develop. Vegetables known to cause bloating include beans and broccoli because the body is usually unable to digest these foods.[5]
Medications
For some people, recurrent distension symptoms worsen their quality of life and thus many resort to health supplements or medications.[6] BeanoTM Beano is an enzyme-based dietary supplement that is used to reduce gas in the digestive tract, thereby preventing flatulence. It contains the enzyme alpha galactosidase that breaks down oligosaccharides such as raffinose. It is available in both tablet and liquid form is a formula containing enzymes Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, called the products. Almost all processes in a biological cell need enzymes to occur at significant rates. Since enzymes are selective for their that help break down complex carbohydrates A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the general formula Cmn, that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, with the last two in the 2:1 atom ratio. Carbohydrates can be viewed as hydrates of carbon, hence their name. Structurally however, it is more accurate to view them as polyhydroxy aldehydes and ketones and vegetables. This formula can help reduce gas and belching but often does not reduce bloating. Other over the counter formulas recommended for bloating include simethicone and activated charcoal. These are widely used to treat excessive gas and bloating but their efficacy is questionable. Probiotics Probiotics are live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". Lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used are also used to treat bloating but not everyone responds to these health supplements. Antidepressants An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. Drugs including the monoamine oxidase inhibitors , tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and in low doses have been found to help a few individuals. These agents alter gut perception of fullness and do help relieve anxiety and apprehension. Alternative health treatments which have been used to treat bloating include acupuncture Acupuncture is the procedure of inserting and manipulating needles into various points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes. The earliest written record of acupuncture is the Chinese text Shiji with elaboration of its history in the second century BCE medical text Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經, English: Yellow Emperor's Inner and hypnosis Hypnosis is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment (non-state theory) usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. Hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a hypnotist in the presence of the subject, or may be self-administered (".[7]
See also
References
- ^ University of North Carolina School of Medicine. "Abdominal bloating, a mysterious symptom" 2010-01-27.
- ^ American College of Gastroenterology. "Belching, Bloating and Flatulence" 2010-01-27.
- ^ Goldfinger, Stephen E, MD. "Gas and bloating overview" 2010-01-27.
- ^ Intestinal gas, belching, bloating and flatulence MedicineNet. 2010-01-27
- ^ Reproductive Health Family Doctor online portal. 2010-01-27
- ^ Abdominal Bloating 2010-01-27
- ^ Woman fitness portal. "Stomach bloating or abdominal distension" 2005-10-27.
External links
- Overview at University of Maryland Medical Center
- MedlinePlus/NIH - Abdominal bloating
- MedlinePlus/NIH - Abdomen - swollen
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Categories: Symptoms and signs: Digestive system and abdomen
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Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:05:03 GMT+00:00
Medical News Today (press release) They also showed that the symptom which carries the highest risk ( abdominal distension ) was not included in current guidance for urgent investigation. ...
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Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:54:31 GM
In advanced peritoneal mesothelioma, abdominal symptoms become more pronounced. These include a swelling or lump in the abdomen, . abdominal distension. due to a collection of fluid in the abdominal cavity, abdominal pain, constipation due ...
Q. what can cause abdominal distension in orphane kitten feeding cows milk?
Asked by Dr.Zhivago - Fri Oct 9 16:17:26 2009 - - 5 Answers - 0 Comments
A. Um, maybe the COW'S MILK. Cats can't have cow's milk, it's way too rich for them and will give them digestion issues. Take the kitten to the vet and get some milk formulated for newborn kittens.
Answered by hannah:) - Fri Oct 9 16:32:40 2009
