I feel bloated during the Lunar New Year holiday...What are the causes and treatments of functional indigestion?
Jan 30, 2025
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Most of the dyspepsia we experience is 'functional dyspepsia' with no structural cause. Functional indigestion occurs due to movement or sensory disorders of digestive organs such as the stomach and small intestine, and it is characterized by no abnormal findings in commonly performed tests such as endoscopy, imaging tests, and blood tests.
Functional dyspepsia does not usually lead to a serious disease, but there are warning symptoms that require caution. Symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, persistent vomiting, weight loss, bloody excrement, and anemia in people over the age of 40 can be associated with organic diseases. In particular, if you have a family history of gastric cancer or have recently taken anti-inflammatory drugs or anti-thrombotic drugs, you must visit a hospital for a thorough examination.
Diagnosis shall satisfy the following three criteria. After meals, there should be at least one symptom of bloating, early fullness, epigastric pain, and epigastric soreness, and these symptoms should occur six months ago and last for three months. In addition, it is diagnosed as functional dyspepsia only when there are no abnormal findings in gastroscopy.
Functional indigestion occurs for a variety of reasons, typically decreased gastric motility, which takes a long time for food to be discharged from the stomach. When the stomach's ability to send food to the small intestine decreases, the food stays in the stomach, causing discomfort. Additionally, indigestion occurs if the stomach cannot relax to accept food. In addition, psychological factors such as Helicobacter pylori infection, stress, depression, and anxiety are also cited as major causes.
The main foods that exacerbate functional dyspepsia include high-fat foods, fried foods, dairy products, flour foods, irritating foods, alcohol, coffee, and soda. It is also recommended to avoid eating large amounts at once or lying down immediately after eating because it worsens indigestion. If you make a habit of chewing and eating food slowly and tightly to help digestion, it will help improve indigestion.
Drug treatment can relieve symptoms by reducing acid exposure by inhibiting gastric acid secretion with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), and by activating gastric movement with a gastrointestinal stimulation agent, it helps discharge food. And if you have Helicobacter bacteria infection, you can expect to improve your indigestion through eradication treatment.
Yeo Seung-hyun, head of the Department of Gastroenterology at Good Culture Hospital, said "If indigestion is repeated, don't just pass it over, but make sure to visit the department of Gastroenterology for accurate diagnosis and treatment."A healthy fire extinguisher is the most important factor in improving the quality of life," he said.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
