Abdominal distension, as the saying goes, is [I feel too much gas in my stomach] [I don’t seem to have anything to eat, so I feel like eating again].
It can be said to be one of the most common digestive tract symptoms (it is said that it can be ranked in the top two), and its degree can range from slight discomfort to very serious, even affecting life.
Some patients suffer from liver cirrhosis, ascites, intestinal obstruction and other diseases. Abdominal distension caused by something does exist in the stomach. Generally, abdominal distension will also improve after the disease is treated well.
So today we will mainly discuss the problems of chronic abdominal distension caused by functional gastrointestinal diseases such as constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, which perplex us more.
Is abdominal distension what?
Gastroenterology experts believe that abdominal distension is mainly caused by the patient’s subjective discomfort, with the emphasis on subjective feeling, rather than the fact that there is excess gas or water in the stomach, which is a signal from the brain.
Previously, people believed that abdominal distension was directly related to excess gas in the stomach, but in fact, many patients with abdominal distension did not find excess gas or ascites in the stomach after examination.
In the daily medical work, patients with irritable bowel syndrome and other patients prone to abdominal distension often have certain emotional or mental problems. Therefore, sometimes doctors will tell patients that they do not need to take medicine and go home to adjust their mood, which will be good.
Why does abdominal distension occur?
Unfortunately, doctors have not yet understood why these patients still feel bloated even though their stomachs look good. Briefly introduce the following are the most likely reasons:
1. Intestinal hypersensitivity
This is a theory that many doctors agree with about functional gastrointestinal diseases. Simply put, this part of the patients’ intestinal nerves are more delicate, so for most people, mild or normal stimulation can make them feel abdominal distension, abdominal pain and other abdominal discomfort.
2. Increased number of gas-producing bacteria
I believe you who love to see Dr. Clove must have known long ago that our digestive tract is not [clean], and there are ten million bacteria colonized in Qian Qian. Yes! Some people think that these bacteria are responsible, so they have used some experimental methods to check the feces and intestinal mucosa of patients with functional gastrointestinal diseases and healthy people.
The results did show that the number of gas-producing bacteria increased in some people with functional gastrointestinal diseases troubled by abdominal pain, abdominal distension and other problems, and they were probably the important causes of these symptoms.
3. Misjudgment in the Brain
If there is a problem with the brain, it may also cause abdominal distension.
After all, abdominal distension is a subjective feeling, and this feeling is ultimately obtained by the brain. This is not difficult to explain why many patients with long-term abdominal distension may be accompanied by mild mental disorders.
There is also a nervous system in the gastrointestinal tract, which is similar to our brain to some extent. Now some people also call it “gut brain” and have carried out a lot of research.
4. Other
In addition, weakened gastrointestinal motility, food intolerance, sugar malabsorption syndrome and long-term constipation may all cause chronic abdominal distension.
Always abdominal distension, what should I do?
Here are a few simple and practical suggestions:
Step 1 Adjust your mood
Mental disorders such as high pressure in life and work, anxiety and depression are all important causes of functional gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, for most patients with abdominal distension, they can adjust their emotions, relieve pressure and divert their attention through exercise, travel and thinking to do more happy things.
However, if you still cannot get out of anxiety and depression through your own efforts, you should seek help from a professional psychiatrist or psychologist as soon as possible.
Step 2: Eat the right thing
In the crowd with abdominal distension, A large part has intestinal microecological disorders or changes. Excessive gas is produced in the stomach, and the gas accumulates in the intestines, which will cause abdominal distension. Therefore, you can eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, such as less apples, mangoes, cherries, honey, leeks, etc., as well as foods with more short-chain carbohydrates that are difficult to absorb, which may aggravate abdominal distension.
For example, some people will fart all the time after drinking soya-bean milk and milk, and they will feel bloated when eating sweet potatoes, so they can blacklist all these foods.
3. Proper medication
Many studies have confirmed that antibiotics, probiotics, probiotics and even anti-anxiety and depression drugs can help improve abdominal distension, abdominal pain and diarrhea caused by functional diseases. However, some experts believe that this is a placebo effect.
However, it is generally believed that probiotics are useful in regulating the balance of intestinal flora. Motility promoting drugs can accelerate gastrointestinal peristalsis and also have certain effects on abdominal distension caused by functional gastrointestinal diseases or constipation.
Therefore, some drugs can be properly used to assist in treatment. However, all drugs are recommended not to be purchased and taken by oneself under the guidance of doctors, especially antibiotics and anti-anxiety drugs. Improper use may cause unnecessary side effects.
Step 4 Ask for help from a doctor
If you have tried to change your lifestyle and take multiple drugs, but still suffer from abdominal distension, you should consult a digestive doctor to see if other treatments are needed.
Because, there are still some gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease, tumors and other gastrointestinal diseases, which may cause this symptom, and these all need other special treatment methods.