Pain after eating in the stomach

Localization of pain after eating in the stomach is the most common, since it is this hollow muscular organ of the human digestive system that everything we eat gets into. But you are deeply mistaken if you think that pain cannot occur somewhere else after eating... For example, after eating, a headache can occur - with high blood pressure or high blood sugar levels...

But we are investigating pain after eating in the stomach, which has the most important function - hydrolysis of the food consumed by various digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid, which are part of the gastric juice. And the work of the stomach does not end there: chemically processed food must be converted into liquid or semi-liquid contents (chyme) and moved further - into the duodenum.

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Causes of pain in the stomach after eating

The causes of stomach pain include stress, poor quality food and intolerance to certain food ingredients, heartburn, overeating, taking medications, gastritis and other gastrointestinal pathologies of various etiologies. Depending on the causes, pain after eating in the stomach begins at different times and has different duration and intensity.

Pain in the stomach after eating can be caused by rotavirus, and then stomach flu or otherwise - rotavirus gastroenteritis is diagnosed. With this disease, symptoms in the form of diarrhea, pain in the stomach and abdomen, nausea and vomiting appear 4-5 hours after the virus enters the body.

Inflammation of the stomach and small intestine - acute gastroenteritis - is often accompanied by pain after eating. This disease can develop after eating poor-quality products, due to lack of regular meals or prolonged dry food.

Lactose intolerance, which is the sugar found in milk and dairy products, can cause quite intense stomach pain after consuming them, as well as bloating and flatulence.

Gluten enteropathy or celiac disease, that is, autoimmune disorders when wheat, rye and barley protein (gluten) enters the stomach, provokes not only pain in the stomach after eating and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the small intestine. With this disease (which is not always recognized by doctors), a person experiences weight loss, anemia, chronic fatigue and irritability, possible damage to the mucous membrane in the mouth, as well as joint pain.

Overeating causes stomach pain after eating for a very simple reason: the stomach is full, its normal functioning is disrupted, and the body signals that the amount eaten is excessive. After all, how else can you make a person stop digging his own grave with a spoon and fork... Especially if the appetite is aroused before bed, and a person with a full stomach makes it work "overtime".

Pain after eating in the stomach, in its upper part, can be a consequence of gastroesophageal reflux disease, that is, heartburn caused by it. This pathology is associated with the fact that part of the stomach contents returns to the esophagus, which should not normally happen. And this happens due to a violation of the motor activity of the digestive tract, in which the lower esophageal sphincter (a muscular ring with valve functions) weakens and stops working normally. Acute or chronic inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis) often becomes a complication of this disease.

The cause of pain in the stomach after eating may be irritable stomach syndrome. Experts say that every eight out of ten people face it from time to time. The main signs of irritable stomach syndrome include: pain in the stomach and nausea immediately after eating, belching within an hour after eating, stomach cramps, heartburn (after eating any food). The development of this syndrome is facilitated by hard-to-digest food - everything fatty, spicy and salty.

After eating, pain in the stomach area may be a symptom of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the lower (pyloric) part of the stomach and duodenum - gastroduodenitis.

Pain in the stomach after eating is a companion of gastritis and gastric ulcer. In the first case, the stomach begins to hurt a few minutes after eating (especially if the food was sour, spicy or rough in consistency). In the second case, a person feels pain in the stomach 30-60 minutes after eating (or on an empty stomach). By the way, until recently, doctors believed that hydrochloric acid in gastric juice (which corroded the walls of the stomach) was to blame for these diseases. However, in the mid-1990s, it turned out that the cause of these pathological conditions is the microbe Helicobacter pylori, which lives inside the stomach of most people (but does not manifest itself in everyone). This microorganism protects itself from the effects of hydrochloric acid with special enzymes that damage the mucous membrane and make it accessible for the introduction of the microbe. As a result, inflammatory foci appear on the mucous membrane, and then ulcers.

Another reason for the appearance of pain in the stomach after eating may be the presence of stones in the gallbladder. This is cholelithiasis or calculous cholecystitis. Stones cause swelling of the mucous membranes and can block the bile duct, which leads to pain in the upper abdomen on the right, especially after fatty foods. Disruption of the outflow of bile from the gallbladder leads to its inflammation - cholecystitis. In the acute form of this disease, patients complain of nausea and sharp pain in the abdomen on the right, which radiates to all nearby organs, to the right shoulder and shoulder blade.

Severe pain in the stomach after eating occurs with pancreatitis, that is, an inflammatory process in the pancreas. The pain torments a person for several days, during which eating becomes almost impossible.

Although the thyroid gland is located in the neck, problems with it can affect everything below it, including the stomach. If the thyroid gland produces too much hormone (hyperthyroidism), it speeds up the gastrointestinal tract; if the secretory function of this gland is reduced (hypothyroidism), then the digestive tract works in a slow mode. Both can cause stomach pain after eating, as well as stomach cramps, diarrhea, constipation, and flatulence.

There are almost no drugs without side effects, and quite often their side effects include stomach pain - after eating and after taking the drug after eating. Many drugs for the prevention of osteoporosis, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, hormonal agents, etc. are guilty of this.

Finally, aching pain in the stomach after eating can be caused by stress, to which the digestive system reacts along with the hormonal, nervous and vascular systems of our body. It is not for nothing that the stomach is called a "stress indicator". When a person gets into a stressful situation or is in a state of prolonged psychoemotional instability, a "failure" occurs in the work of his stomach: the innervation of the gastric mucosa is disrupted, which leads to spasm of the pylorus (pylorospasm) and severe pain. In addition, the level of hydrochloric acid production by the stomach - regardless of the amount of food consumed - increases significantly.

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Symptoms of pain in the stomach after eating

In clinical practice, based on the nature of the pain in the stomach after eating, as well as the time of its appearance, doctors can presumably determine what disease this pain is a symptom of.

Thus, a nagging, pressing or sharp pain after eating in the stomach - an hour or two after breakfast, lunch or dinner, and also accompanied by sour belching or heartburn - gives every reason to suspect a gastric ulcer. With a perforated ulcer, the pain in the stomach area is unbearable and can cause pain shock.

And if the stomach starts to hurt (or rather, ache) immediately after eating, then it is most likely gastritis. Aching pain in the stomach after eating is also characteristic of the chronic form of gastritis.

When a dull pain in the stomach after eating begins a couple of hours after eating and is localized slightly to the right of the middle of the abdominal wall, and then turns into cramping and stabbing pain, then we are talking about a duodenal ulcer.

A rare disease called solaritis manifests itself with burning pulsating pains in the stomach after eating. Patients suspect that they have gastritis or a stomach ulcer, but a thorough examination by gastroenterologists does not reveal any dysfunctions inherent in the same ulcer disease. At the same time, pain under the ribs and in the navel area can radiate to the thoracic spine and lower abdominal cavity, and an attack of pain can last for several hours. Solaritis is a pathological process in the solar plexus that occurs for many reasons, including inflammation of the peritoneum and inflammation of the tissues surrounding the internal organs of the abdominal cavity (perivisseritis); relapses of stomach ulcers; injuries; repeated surgeries; tuberculosis.

Symptoms of pain in the stomach after eating are also present in the case of malignant tumors of the digestive system, but at first patients with such a diagnosis are haunted by a feeling of discomfort in the stomach, heartburn, weakness, unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite.

Diagnosis of pain in the stomach after eating

To determine the cause of pain in the stomach after eating, you need to contact a specialist - a gastroenterologist. Diagnosis of pain in the stomach after eating begins with an examination of the patient (with palpation of the abdominal cavity), collecting anamnesis and finding out a detailed list of complaints.

A general blood test and a blood test for biochemical composition are prescribed. A check is carried out for the presence of infectious agents - microbes and viruses, as well as for dysbacteriosis. In the case of chronic gastrointestinal pathologies, patients undergo a stool test.

The examination of organs located in the abdominal cavity is carried out using ultrasound; X-ray examination helps to identify pathologies of the digestive tract.

Fibrogastroduodenoscopy (FGDS) is used as a key diagnostic method for gastritis: examination of the gastric mucosa is performed using a probe, which allows taking a sample for histological examination and making a correct diagnosis. Endoscopy with taking a sample of the mucosa is also used in the diagnosis of gastroduodenitis.

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Treatment of pain in the stomach after eating

Treatment of stomach pain associated with heartburn is aimed at neutralizing gastric acid (antacid drugs), as well as reducing the secretion of hydrochloric acid. Doctors do not recommend drinking soda for heartburn: its frequent use can cause ulcers on the gastric mucosa, as well as belching and bloating. And the list of antacid drugs recommended by doctors includes Gastal, Almagel and Almagel-A.

Gastal in tablet form has an adsorbing, enveloping and local anesthetic effect. It neutralizes free hydrochloric acid in the stomach and reduces the activity of gastric juice. It is taken 1-2 tablets two hours after meals and at night; in case of stomach ulcers - 30 minutes before meals; the maximum single dose is 3-4 tablets; in maintenance therapy - one tablet three times a day for two months. This drug is contraindicated during pregnancy.

The suspension for oral administration Almagel also neutralizes free hydrochloric acid in the stomach; has an enveloping, adsorbing effect and protects the gastric mucosa. Adults and children over 15 years old take 5-10 ml (1-2 measuring spoons) 3-4 times a day - 45-60 minutes after meals and in the evening before bedtime. The dose for children 10-15 years old is half the adult dose. The drug is contraindicated for use by pregnant women and children under 10 years old. The side effect of this drug is constipation, which disappears after reducing the dose.

The drug Almagel-A contains an additional component - a local anesthetic benzocaine. This drug is recommended for gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer in the acute phase, acute and chronic gastritis with increased and normal acidity of the stomach, gastroesophageal reflux disease, enteritis and duodenitis. Almagel A is taken in the same way as Almagel. The course of treatment is 7 days, after which they switch to treatment with Almagel (for two to three weeks).

For chronic gastritis and pancreatitis, the enzyme preparation Mezim Forte (pills) is used. The active ingredient of this medicine is pancreatin (from the pancreas of pigs). Mezim is recommended for insufficient secretory and digestive capacity of the stomach and intestines. The dosage is determined depending on the severity of the disease, the usual dose for adults is 1-2 tablets before meals, washed down with plenty of water.

In the treatment of chronic gastritis, steroid hormones are also used, which stimulate the adrenal cortex and help normalize the secretory functions of the gastric mucosa.

To treat stomach pain after eating with gastroenteritis, doctors recommend taking the same enzyme-based drugs, astringents and adsorbents. And from home remedies, herbalists advise drinking mint infusion, for the preparation of which a tablespoon of dry grass is brewed with a glass of boiling water, infused for half an hour and taken one-third of a glass once a day.

And for irritable stomach syndrome, an infusion of chamomile helps: a tablespoon of dried flowers per glass of boiling water (drink a few sips three times a day after meals).

A proven folk remedy for normalizing the gastrointestinal tract and treating pain in the stomach after eating is an infusion of caraway seeds, which relieves spasms. One teaspoon of caraway should be brewed with a glass of boiling water, let it brew for 20-30 minutes. Add another 100 ml of boiled water and drink half a glass twice a day.

Prevention of pain in the stomach after eating

The famous physician Sun Simiao, who lived in medieval China, wrote in his work “A Thousand Golden Prescriptions” that a balanced diet is the basis of human health.

Prevention of pain in the stomach after eating and all diseases of the digestive system comes down to a few simple rules:

• eat only healthy food. Do not eat fatty, smoked, spicy and salty foods, as well as processed and canned foods;
• follow a dietary regimen in which the last meal should be no less than three hours before bedtime;
• do not overeat, eat little by little (in small portions), but not less than five times a day;
• drink at least 1.5 liters of liquid per day;
• After eating, do not lie down on the sofa, but move for at least 10-15 minutes.

Following these rules for preventing pain in the stomach after eating is a real way to reduce the risk of developing gastrointestinal pathologies and many other serious diseases.