Bloating

What is Bloating ?

The area between the chest and the groin is known as the abdomen - some people refer to it as their tummy or belly. The abdomen contains several important organs including the stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder and pancreas. Abdominal swelling is a symptom that can occur when a disease, disorder or condition affects an organ or tissue within the abdomen, causing it to feel bloated or become enlarged.

Bloating refers to the feeling that the abdomen is larger - like you have swallowed a balloon. If you eat a much larger meal than normal, or there is a lot of gas in your intestines, you may have the sensation of feeling bloated, but your abdomen won't necessarily be physically larger in size.

What are the symptoms of Bloating?

Feeling bloated or bloating often accompanies flatulence (wind) or indigestion. It is normal to feel temporarily bloated and to pass wind. However, some people feel bloated or have a sensation of fullness most of the time

What are the causes of Bloating?

The most common causes of bloating include:

Certain foods and beverages - for example, gas-producing foods like beans, broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, cauliflower or fizzy drinks
Changes in your diet - for example, if you are travelling or on holiday
Swallowing air - for example, if you talk while eating
Constipation
Medication such as aspirin, antacids, corticosteroids, stool bulking agents, anti-diarrhoea medicines, opioid painkillers
Food supplements such as multivitamins and iron
Food intolerances such as lactose intolerance.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Crohn's disease
Diverticular disease
Coeliac disease
Gastritis
Colon cancer
Ovarian cancer
Premenstrual syndrome - some women experience bloating before their periods.

How to treat Bloating?

Bloating can be managed usually by making changes to your lifestyle and with over-the-counter medication. Here are some approaches to helping to avoid bloating:

Lifestyle changes such as adjusting your diet - your GP might ask you to keep a food diary to identify episodes of bloating and what you were doing at the time and to help identify which foods cause bloating. If you have to eliminate certain gas-producing foods from your diet then you should continue to eat a healthy diet that includes 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, drink plenty of fluids and exercise regularly.
Try to sit down to eat a meal.
Chew your food more slowly to reduce the amount of air ingested.
Don't gulp fizzy drinks.
Try not to talk and eat at the same time to avoid taking in more air.
Medication - over-the-counter medication is available for excessive wind, indigestion or constipation. Your GP will be able to recommend other medications if your symptoms do not improve.

When to seek medical advice for bloating

If you also experience unexplained weight loss, diarrhoea or blood in poo, as these might be symptoms of bowel cancer, especially in people aged 50 and over or in those with a family history of bowel cancer.

If you have a swollen abdomen, as this might be a sign of ascites which is a build-up of fluid in the abdomen.

If you are a woman who feels bloated, most days, for 3 weeks or more, it could be a sign of ovarian cancer.

If abdominal swelling occurs with other serious symptoms, you should seek urgent medical advice.

These symptoms include:

Chest pain or pressure
Shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing or rapid breathing
Dizziness
Fainting or lethargy
A raised temperature
A rapid pulse
Severe pain in the abdomen
A pulsating mass in the abdomen
Bloody or black stools (poo)
Vomiting blood or black material
Weakness
Signs of jaundice - having yellow skin and eyes.

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