Bloating

Bloating
SpecialtyGastroenterology Edit this on Wikidata
Symptoms
DurationA few hours to days
Causes
Risk factors
Prevention
  • Eating high fiber foods
  • Drinking water
  • Exercise
Treatment
Frequency
  • 10–25% of healthy people
  • 75% of women experience bloating before or during their period
  • 10% Experience bloating regularly[citation needed]

Abdominal bloating (or simply bloating) is a short-term disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract.[1][2] Bloating is generally characterized by an excess buildup of gas, air or fluids in the stomach. A person may have feelings of tightness, pressure or fullness in the stomach; it may or may not be accompanied by a visibly distended abdomen.[3] Bloating can affect anyone of any age range and is usually self-diagnosed, in most cases does not require serious medical attention or treatment.[4][5] Although this term is usually used interchangeably with abdominal distension, these symptoms probably have different pathophysiological processes, which are not fully understood.[6]

The first step for the management is to find a treatment for the underlying causes that produce it through a detailed medical history and a physical examination. The discomfort can be alleviated by the use of certain drugs and dietary modifications.[4]

Bloating can also be caused by chronic conditions and in rare cases can be a reoccurring life-threatening problem.[7]

  1. ^ staff, familydoctor org editorial; Rice, Alex. "Bloating - Bloated Stomach - What Causes Bloating?". familydoctor.org. Archived from the original on 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  2. ^ "Bloated Stomach: Causes, Tips to Reduce & When to be Concerned". Cleveland Clinic. Archived from the original on 2023-09-26. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  3. ^ "Bloating: Causes and Prevention Tips". www.hopkinsmedicine.org. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-09-26. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SeoKim2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Abdominal bloating Archived 2016-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, National Institutes of Health, Retrieved November 7, 2013
  6. ^ Lacy BE, Gabbard SL, Crowell MD (2011). "Pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment of bloating: hope, hype, or hot air?". Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y) (Review). 7 (11): 729–39. PMC 3264926. PMID 22298969.
  7. ^ "Abdominal bloating: Causes, symptoms and remedies". www.medicalnewstoday.com. 2020-01-14. Archived from the original on 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-02-22.