Belching is a physiological process in which air is expelled, accidentally falling into the cavity of the stomach and esophagus. Nausea is a symptom that is characteristic of many serious diseases of both the organs of the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. The causes of nausea, weakness and belching are varied. An accurate diagnosis is often difficult. From this article you will learn about the most common ailments accompanied by such symptoms, and effective methods of treating them.
Why does belching occur?
If belching occurs without other symptoms, and the patient is not bothered by heartburn, nausea, or pain, then there is no reason for concern. Belching is a physiological process in which air is expelled, accidentally falling into the cavity of the stomach and esophagus.
It is worth observing the simple rules of the meal to prevent burping - chewing food with your mouth closed and not talking at this time. These two tips will help get rid of an unpleasant symptom forever. If belching is accompanied by heartburn, nausea, pain in the epigastric region, then it is not a matter of banal swallowing of air. This set of symptoms indicates the development of pathological processes in one of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
The most common causes of nausea
Nausea should be distinguished from vomiting. The first symptom is an unclear sensation in the abdomen, which goes up the esophagus. And the second is the mass of food itself, which already through the open sphincter rises.
The nausea that often occurs after a heavy meal is a harbinger of the following diseases:
- Chronic cholecystitis.
- Liver diseases (fibrosis, hepatitis of various etiologies, cirrhosis).
- Gastritis and peptic ulcer.
- Biliary dyskinesia.
- Poisoning, intoxication.
- Chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic necrosis (also accompanied by pain in the right hypochondrium).
- Neoplasms of a malignant and benign nature.
If nausea occurs without reference to food intake, then this indicates diseases of the central nervous system. The brain gives incorrect signals to internal organs, or they are distorted due to problems with neurons and neurotransmitters or their sensitivity and ability to recognize the indications of the hypothalamus.
Which doctor should I consult for advice
The causes of nausea and belching may vary. For an accurate diagnosis, you will have to go through several types of examinations.
The patient has two ways:
- Free treatment on a medical policy - all costs are paid by the insurance company, the seal of which is on the policy.
- Paid - is carried out when the patient is contacted by private diagnostic centers. This is expensive, but the patient will save time, since in modern paid medical institutions there are no queues, you can get a consultation the very next day after treatment.
Essential research for accurate diagnosis
If the patient wishes to receive a free diagnosis, he should contact the clinic at the place of residence and take a coupon for a consultation with the local therapist. A referral to specialized specialists - a gastroenterologist or hepatologist in the registry will not be given.
The therapist will prescribe the main tests:
- General urine analysis.
- General blood analysis.
- Blood chemistry.
If the therapist considers it necessary, he will direct the patient to an ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs, EGD or EGD. Depending on the results of the tests, the patient will be given a referral for consultation with specialized specialists - a gastroenterologist or hepatologist.
They can direct the patient to radiography of the abdominal organs, MRI of the liver, gall bladder, stomach, spleen, pancreas, intestines. In any of these organs, the cause of belching and nausea after eating can be hidden. Only a thorough examination will help to make a reliable diagnosis. Often, a visit to doctors can last for several months (if the sick person does not develop an acute condition earlier and is not urgently hospitalized). After receiving all the results of the examinations on hand, we can talk about an accurate diagnosis and the appointment of adequate therapy.
Chronic pancreatitis
A common cause of belching and nausea after eating is chronic pancreatitis. This pathology is present in almost all people who like to abuse fatty and high-calorie foods, as well as alcoholic beverages. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreatic tissue. This small organ is located behind the stomach and has a small size, but its effect on the body is difficult to overestimate.
The initial stages of chronic pancreatitis are a common cause of belching and nausea after eating. If the patient is not too lazy and during this period seeks advice from a doctor, he can save his life. After all, pancreatitis is not a harmless disease.
If this pathology is not treated, then the cells of the pancreas will become inflamed more and more. This will lead to severe pain in the right hypochondrium after eating. Over time, inflammation will provoke a partial death of the organ, the so-called pancreatic necrosis. With this diagnosis, life expectancy is short - from a year to two, even under all conditions of therapy (strict diet and the use of expensive pharmacological drugs).
Treatments for pancreatitis
If the cause of nausea, belching and heaviness in the stomach is pancreatitis, and this fact is confirmed by studies, then a long and complicated treatment will be required. The basis of therapy is a strict diet. The patient must observe the following nutritional rules:
- Refusal of simple carbohydrates, especially if they contain fats (these are cookies, fried pies, pasties, pizza, etc.).
- It is necessary to reduce the proportion of animal fats in the diet.
- Any carbonated and alcoholic drinks are prohibited.
- Completely abandon fried foods, whether it be potatoes, meat, nuggets or pies.
Medications for chronic pancreatitis
The following are the most commonly used drugs for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis:
- Enzymatic drugs.
- Antispasmodics (with pronounced pain syndrome).
- Antacids.
- Antisecretory drugs.
Only the attending gastroenterologist who is aware of the course of the disease can prescribe the optimal drug for each specific patient. Harmless-looking enzymes can trigger an acceleration of the death of pancreatic cells. If this happens, then the pills will do harm, not the expected benefits. Therefore, self-medication with such a serious diagnosis is impossible.
Diseases of the liver and gall bladder
The causes of nausea, belching, weakness and dizziness after eating are often found in chronic liver diseases. The organ rarely makes itself felt in pain, and its increase can only be seen on an ultrasound scan or MRI image. You should be wary of those people who often abuse alcoholic beverages, prefer fatty foods, eat fast food, fried foods, and factory-made sweets (which contain trans fats) every day. Gluttony lovers often develop toxic or alcoholic hepatitis, which is the cause of constant nausea and belching after eating.
Biliary dyskinesia is a violation of the outflow of bile. The disease can occur in two directions:
- Hypotonic (lack of bile).
- Hypertensive (excess ejection of bile).
In both cases, strict adherence to the therapeutic diet and medication is required to regulate the amount of bile produced.
Drugs for treating the liver and impaired bile outflow
If the cause of belching and nausea lies in the disease of the liver and gall bladder, you should seek the advice of a hepatologist. This is a doctor who treats these organs. He will explain the principles of diet for liver pathologies and prescribe a course of hepatoprotectors optimal for each particular case. These are special medicines that can repair liver cells. They operate due to the presence of the following components:
- Essential phospholipids - Essential Forte.
- Silymarin - "Carsil".
- Bile Acids - Ursosan.
- Herbal components - Hofitol.
A hepatoprotector for each specific patient can be prescribed only by a hepatologist or gastroenterologist, who is aware of the particular course of the disease. The same harmless-looking herbal medicines ("Holosas", "Artichoke", "Hofitol") can provoke an acceleration of fatty degeneration of liver cells, which is dangerous for health.
Diseases of the stomach and intestines
Diagnosis of pathologies of the esophagus and stomach becomes possible after FGDS. This is a study in which a tiny chamber is launched into a patient’s stomach using a thin tube. Most often, FGDS indicates the presence of gastritis, erosion, ulcers, in some cases it can show the presence of a neoplasm, to determine the nature of which another study called biopsy is required.
Gastritis is one of the most common causes of belching and nausea. In people over 30, almost everyone has this diagnosis. Depending on the symptoms, gastritis can go unnoticed for many years. Often people do not try to find out the causes of nausea and burping, and they are not interested in treatment at all.
When gastritis passes to a late stage, patients begin to pursue intolerable pains. But the treatment is already difficult to implement. It remains to use only painkillers. In some cases, advanced gastritis can cause the development of peptic ulcer. Therefore, it is important to do therapy in the initial stages of the disease.
The Importance of Proper Nutrition
Whatever the cause of nausea and burping in women and men, proper nutrition will greatly alleviate symptoms. It doesn’t matter which organ is out of order - the stomach, liver, pancreas, spleen. Compliance with the following rules will improve the well-being of the patient:
- Eat fractional meals in small portions.
- Drink a minimum of a liter of clean water per day.
- Increase the proportion of raw vegetables and fruits in the diet.
- Get rid of bad habits.
- Give preference to carefully chopped food.
- Try to chew food for a long time.
After alcohol, nausea and belching of air - what to do?
The reason a patient suffers from many unpleasant symptoms is the abuse of alcohol. If a person drinks an acceptable amount, such as a glass of quality wine, then he will never be bothered by problems with the functioning of internal organs.
There is only one advice - try to get rid of the symptoms of a hangover (which is almost always accompanied by severe nausea) and do not abuse alcoholic beverages the next time. This will help maintain the health of the pancreas, liver, and kidneys, and will make it possible not to suffer from excruciating nausea, vomiting, heartburn and belching.
Tips from a gastroenterologist: how to get rid of belching and nausea
The causes of the pathology can be any. There are a number of simple, universal tips that everyone can do. With regular observance of these simple rules, you can forget about unpleasant symptoms for a long time:
- Stop smoking, as nicotine and tar adversely affect the esophagus and stomach. Each smoked cigarette brings the development of chronic gastritis closer.
- Refuse strict diets and fasting. They are very dangerous for healthy people, and irreparable harm is brought to patients.
- Eat fractionally several times a day in small portions.
- Refuse alcohol abuse (do not drink beer and cocktails, which are especially damaging to the organs of the gastrointestinal tract).
- A full sleep and rest is a very important point, since with fatigue, gastritis progresses faster.
- Any medication should be taken only when the doctor has made an accurate diagnosis. Self-medication can not only not alleviate the condition, but also cause harm.
- Physical overwork extremely negatively affects the state of the whole organism, so you should not exhaust yourself with high physical exertion.