The magnitude of the incidence of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract has acquired an incredible, almost pandemic character.
Now it’s hard to find a person who at least once in his life did not suffer from heartburn, heaviness in the stomach and other uncomfortable manifestations.
At the same time, everyone suffers: from newborns to the very old.
According to statistics, gastritis has been and remains the most common disease.
Sores are somewhat less common. Gastritis is a diagnosis so widespread that it is spoken of with neglect as the norm. Meanwhile, this is a serious disease that can lead to a lot of dangerous consequences. What you need to know about stomach pain
Stomach ache after eating: causes and diagnosis
Pain in the stomach can have a very different nature: they can be a direct consequence of the diseases of this organ or be a "reflection" of pathologies of other organs and systems. Among the reasons:
• Gastritis. Gastritis is a disease (rather, even a group of diseases), characterized by inflammation of the gastric mucosa. For gastritis, the occurrence of cutting or pulling pains after eating is just characteristic. As a rule, discomfort develops 20-30 minutes after the next meal. At the same time, everything is not limited to pain, from a certain point of view it is even good: differential diagnosis becomes easier. In addition to pain, there is heaviness in the abdomen, belching, possible heartburn, rumbling. In some cases, there are disorders of the intestines (manifested by diarrhea and, less commonly, constipation). This is the most common reason why your stomach hurts after eating.
• Stomach ulcer. As a rule, it does not develop suddenly. Usually, a stomach ulcer is a consequence of the protracted course of gastritis. For ulcerative lesions, intense "hungry" pains are characteristic, which subside immediately after eating, but reappear after half an hour or an hour. Often, an ulcer is accompanied by symptoms characteristic of gastritis (since they occur in parallel), which somewhat “lubricates” the clinical picture. It is important to keep in mind: if symptoms are observed repeatedly, and at one point there is a sharp, "dagger" pain - this is an occasion to sound the alarm and urgently call an ambulance. A long-standing untreated ulcer tends to progress and lead to perforation of the stomach wall with the subsequent opening of bleeding, the development of peritonitis.
• Obstruction of the stomach. Obstruction of the stomach is characterized by a narrowing of the transition between the lower part of the stomach and the duodenum. The causes of this condition can be very different: neoplasms, pyloric stenosis (a frequent complication of an ulcer), etc. Pain can be varied in intensity and nature.
• Diaphragm hernia. It is rare. It consists in bulging the upper part of the stomach into the chest cavity. Pain, in this case, is associated with an increase in the stomach after eating.
• Narrowing of the esophagus. Esophageal stenosis, especially in its lower parts, causes aching pain. This condition can be falsely taken for pain in the stomach.
• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Due to the anatomical proximity of the stomach and gland, it is not always possible to accurately determine the cause of discomfort.
• Bowel disease. Sigmoiditis, IBS and other bowel diseases can produce reflected pains that are falsely mistaken for pain in the stomach.
• Kidney pathology (usually on the left). Pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, sand, kidney stones can also give false symptoms.
• Other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (cholecystitis, hepatitis, inflammation of the spleen).
The reasons may be completely extraneous:
• Pneumonia.
• Bruises and fractures of the ribs.
• Heart attack, angina pectoris.
Understand with your own mind so many diseases and make a diagnosis beyond the strength of the patient. Therefore, when the stomach hurts after eating, you need to contact a gastroenterologist.
Diagnosis of pain in the stomach is not particularly difficult and includes:
• History taking. A “classic” patient interview process for an initial impression.
• Palpation. The doctor "probes" the problem areas, conducts functional tests to assess pain reactions. Thus, both cholecystitis and pancreatitis are determined. The stomach does not always respond to palpation.
• Endoscopic examination of the stomach. Familiar abbreviation FGDS. At the moment, this procedure is recognized as the most informative in the diagnosis of diseases of the stomach. Endoscopy allows you to visually assess the condition of the mucosa, detect ulcers, neoplasms, areas of inflammation.
• Ultrasound diagnosis of abdominal organs.
• Contrast radiography.
• More "exotic methods" are associated with determining the presence of traces of the presence of Helicobacter bacteria in a tissue sample obtained during FGDS or antibodies to this pathogen in the blood.
It is more difficult if, as a result of primary measures, problems from the stomach were not identified. In this case, are assigned:
• Laboratory studies (blood biochemistry to assess the levels of ALT, AST, general blood count, urinalysis to detect protein, white blood cells, fecal analysis).
• Chest x-ray.
• Electrocardiogram.
• ECHO KG.
Based on the research results, a referral to other specialists can be issued: cardiologist, pulmonologist, nephrologist.
Stomach ache after eating: treatment and medication
Pain treatment is carried out in two parallel stages:
• Elimination of factors causing discomfort.
• Taking medication.
In the elimination of the provoking factor, diet plays an important role. If the stomach hurts greatly after eating, the pain is accompanied by discomfort, digestion - a reasonable maximum abstinence from food. After the acute phase passes (after 3-4 days), medication is taken.
Groups of drugs for the treatment of pathologies of the stomach:
• Anti-inflammatory drugs. They help relieve inflammation and alleviate the condition. But there is a flip side: many anti-inflammatory drugs themselves negatively affect the wall of the stomach.
• Antibacterial drugs. They are prescribed for the proven infectious nature of stomach diseases. Like anti-inflammatory, should be prescribed with caution. Specific names are determined based on the likely pathogen and its sensitivity to drugs.
• Antispasmodics. Designed to relieve pain. Inflammatory lesions of the stomach are accompanied by a spasm of the smooth muscles of the organ. Antispasmodics relieve this condition.
• Antacids. They are prescribed if the source of pain is accompanied by increased secretion of gastric juice. They neutralize excess acid (Rutacid, Gastal, Almagel, Gastrofarm, etc.).
• Preparations for the restoration of the gastric mucosa (Solcoseryl, sea buckthorn oil, Misoprostrol, Bifiform, etc.).
In combination, these drugs can achieve a therapeutic effect in a short time. If the reasons that the stomach hurts after eating lie in the pathologies of other organs and systems, their specific treatment is carried out.
Surgical treatment is resorted to only in the most extreme cases. Indications two:
• Stomach neoplasms (as practice shows, they are almost always malignant).
• Perforation of the wall of the stomach.
Stomach ache after eating: diet and folk remedies
Diet for diseases of the stomach almost always involves the rejection of most types of products in the acute period and the gradual expansion of the diet as the condition alleviates. A strict diet involves:
• Refusal to eat fatty foods (complete rejection of butter, animal fats).
• Exclusion of spicy food (spices, seasonings are excluded).
• Refusal of fried foods.
• No alcohol, tobacco.
In the first 2-3 days, it is recommended to refuse food, limiting it to a minimum (for example, the admissibility of moderate consumption of bananas and semolina on water has been proven).
Rough food (bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, meat) is completely excluded. Subsequently, the use of low-fat varieties of meat, poultry, fish is permissible.
In the treatment of stomach diseases, folk remedies can be a good helper, but you need to show a fair amount of caution: many of them are dangerous.
• Alcohol tinctures. It is strictly contraindicated. No matter what herbs are included, alcohol has a devastating effect on the gastric mucosa. From such a "medicine" will only get worse.
• Nettle with milk and honey. An effective recipe, but with honey you need to be careful. It is able to increase the acidity of gastric juice. In general, this complex has an effective healing effect.
• Divorced salad juice (lettuce). Contraindicated in gastritis with high acidity, as with an ulcer, but can help people suffering from gastritis with low acidity.
• Apple juice / vinegar. Contraindicated in any form of gastritis and, especially, with an ulcer. These juices corrode the unprotected wall of the stomach.
• Water tincture of gastritis. It has proven effectiveness in the treatment of diseases of the stomach. Sage helps to restore the gastric mucosa.
• Potato juice. It also promotes the healing of the affected wall of the stomach.
In general, folk recipes should be skeptical and resorted to only after consulting with your healthcare professional. The reasons why the stomach hurts after eating are many, the compilers of all kinds of herbalists, collections of recipes and other things do not take this into account. The health of their readers is of last interest to them.
Thus, the reasons why the stomach hurts after eating are numerous, sometimes pains are not at all associated with gastrointestinal pathologies. It is not difficult to identify the source of the problem; the main thing is to see a doctor in time. Fortunately, really dangerous pathologies are rare. Usually it’s enough to undergo a full course of treatment so that the pain in the stomach goes away.
