Topic Overview
Dyspepsia is a vague discomfort in the upper abdomen or chest that
may be described as gas, a feeling of fullness, gnawing, or burning.
Common causes of dyspepsia include:
- Swallowed air.
- Burped-up stomach
juices and gas (regurgitation or reflux) caused by
(GERD) or a
.
- or duodenal
ulcer.
- Stomach cancer.
- An inability to digest milk and
dairy products (lactose intolerance).
- Gallbladder pain (biliary
colic) or inflammation (cholecystitis).
- A disorder that affects
movement of food through the intestines, such as irritable bowel
syndrome.
- Anxiety or depression.
- Side effects of
caffeine, alcohol, or medicines. Examples of medicines that may cause dyspepsia
are aspirin and
, antibiotics, steroids, digoxin, and
theophylline.
Treatment depends on what is causing the problem. If no specific
cause is found, treatment focuses on relieving symptoms with medicine.