What Are the Most Common Causes of Constipation and Flatulence?

Flatulence is a type of digestive system problem that many people suffer from. Too much gas in the stomach can make people feel bloating, stress and discomfort. When air enters the body, the body instinctively responds to snoring or farting to expel excess gas. Generally speaking, adults will exhaust 10 to 18 times a day. If there is an abnormality, whether it is exhausted too many times or not exhausted, it will cause abnormal flatulence. The most obvious symptom of abdominal flatulence is the hollow sound of the abdomen during percussion. A normal adult retains about 100 to 150 ml of a small amount of gas in the gastrointestinal tract every day. When the amount of gas increases, gastrointestinal bloating is formed. One is to swallow air into the gastrointestinal tract with swallowing or drinking water, the other is that the food is digested by bacteria in the intestine to produce gas, and the third is that the gas is diffused from the blood vessel to the intestinal cavity. Oral discharge is radon gas, transanal discharge is sagittal gas, and most of it is absorbed by the intestinal wall.

Basic Information

English name: bloating
Visiting department: Gastroenterology

Common locations: stomach
Common causes: Unhealthy diet, too greasy diet, psychological factors, etc.
Common symptoms: Abdominal pain after eating, belching, snoring, bloating, etc.

Causes of flatulence

Unhealthy diet

Some germs produce toxins in the intestine, causing gastrointestinal diseases such as acute gastroenteritis.

2 diet is too greasy

Eating too greasy makes the intestines difficult to digest. A high-protein or high-fat diet can easily cause changes in the intestinal flora, which is not conducive to the survival of beneficial bacteria. If you eat too much greasy food, lipases and proteases can become overwhelmed until they are exhausted.

3. Psychological factors

Excessive pressure directly affects the physiological function of the gastrointestinal tract. Such as hyperacidity, gastrointestinal slows or accelerates peristalsis. Too much stomach acid will damage the gastric mucosa. Accelerating peristalsis will cause frequent diarrhea, and slowing down will cause abdominal distension.

4. Life is not normal

The diet can not be timed and quantified, causing the intestine to be too hungry or too full, resulting in abnormal bowel movements, which can overburden the gastrointestinal tract for a long time.

5. Eating speed

Eat too fast: it will chew in place, causing digestive juices and food to be stirred and mixed inadequately, so that sufficient digestion and decomposition cannot be performed, causing damage to the gastrointestinal tract.

Flatulence clinical manifestations

Gastrointestinal flatulence is often caused by indigestion, and indigestion is often manifested in various symptoms such as abdominal pain or discomfort after a meal, such as belching, snoring, and bloating. The gastrointestinal dysfunction of functional dyspepsia is often worsened after meals, accompanied by symptoms such as early satiety, belching, nausea, and upper abdominal pain. The flatulence of irritable bowel syndrome is often accompanied by abdominal pain (reduced after defecation), diarrhea, constipation or alternating symptoms of diarrhea and constipation.

Flatulence test

Even patients with indigestion should seek medical treatment as early as possible for related examinations such as imaging, ultrasound, gastroscopy, liver function and other items in order to make a clear diagnosis.

Flatulence diagnosis

Definite diagnosis based on clinical manifestations and related examinations.

Differential diagnosis of flatulence

Gastrointestinal flatulence needs to be associated with early gastric cancer, gastric ulcers, Duodenal ulcer, pancreas, gallbladder, liver and other diseases were identified.

Flatulence complications

Due to different causes, the complications are also different, and the performance is diverse:

Affect breathing

Flatulence of the abdomen, elevation of the diaphragm, narrowing of the thoracic cavity, and restricted breathing function of the lungs can cause difficulty in breathing.

2. Water electrolyte imbalance

Severe bloating, retention of intestinal contents, and compression of the intestinal wall not only affect the absorption of intestinal contents, but also cause intestinal wall plasma to penetrate into the intestinal cavity, causing water and electrolyte disorders.

3. Toxin absorption

The chyme retained in the intestinal cavity is fermented and spoiled under the action of bacteria, produces poison and gas, is absorbed by the body, and aggravates the disease.

4. Affects blood circulation

The flatulence of the abdomen, the raising of the diaphragm, the compression of the chest cavity, and the contractile and diastolic function of the heart are affected. Intestinal cavity flatulence, increased intestinal pressure, affecting blood circulation in the intestinal wall. Increased intra-abdominal pressure, obstruction of inferior vena cava return, and reduced cardiac return, affecting cardiac ejection.

Flatulence treatment

The cause of flatulence should be actively sought. In order to reduce the patient's symptoms before the diagnosis is completely clear, the following symptomatic treatments can be used.

1. Promote gastrointestinal motility drugs, which can enhance the emptying of food from the stomach and reduce flatulence.

2. The imbalance of intestinal flora causes gas-producing bacteria to multiply, which can also cause flatulence. At this time, micro-ecological preparations, such as Pefilcon, Enteral, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, can be used. Improve the intestinal flora and reduce abdominal distension (but do not take it at the same time with antibiotics and adsorbents to avoid affecting the efficacy).

3. Take drugs that adsorb gas before meals, such as activated carbon, simethicone, etc.

4. Compound digestive enzyme preparation is a widely used drug in clinical practice. It can supplement enzymes, promote digestion and absorption, and quickly relieve the symptoms of bloating. It is a new type of compound preparation. The medicine contains pancreatin and cellulase, which can help the body digest the three major nutrients and coarse foods containing more cellulose, promote digestion and absorption, reduce the spoilage and gas production of food in the intestine, improve the symptoms of indigestion, and relieve abdominal distension. Eat less beans and high-fiber vegetables, eat more digestible porridge soup and other diets, exercise more, eat some hawthorn and yeast to help digestion.

5. Recently, due to anger, emotional tension, etc., abdominal fullness, flank pain, belching, etc. can choose some proprietary Chinese medicine preparations, such as Shuganheweiwan, Muxiangshunqi pills and so on.

6. Travel constipation (referring to constipation caused by changes in the work and living environment) can be used with laxatives, such as lactulose, fusong, and other flatulence.

7. Functional dyspepsia and flatulence are often worsened after meals, accompanied by symptoms such as early satiety, belching, nausea, and upper abdominal pain. Digestive and gastrointestinal drugs can be selected, such as yeast tablets, lactase and domperidone. The gastrointestinal flatulence of irritable bowel syndrome is often accompanied by abdominal pain (reduced after defecation), diarrhea, constipation, or alternating symptoms of diarrhea and constipation. At this time, serotonin receptor agonists can be used.

8. Atropine, levodopa, isoprenaline, Shuchuanning, aluminum hydroxide and other drugs have the effect of delaying gastric emptying, which can cause gastrointestinal flatulence, and should be used as little or as little as possible. Simethicone, montmorillonite powder, and activated carbon can effectively relieve bloating by eliminating foam in the gastrointestinal tract and adsorbing gas.

9. Using abdominal breathing: The method of abdominal breathing is actually very simple; when we inhale, the abdomen rises and when we exhale, the abdomen tightens. Although it may not be accustomed at first, it will help stimulate gastrointestinal motility and promote the discharge of waste from the body. On the other hand, it can also make the air flow smooth and increase lung capacity.

Flatulence prognosis

Due to different causes, the prognosis is also very different.

Flatulence prevention

1. Actively treat primary diseases.

2. First of all, you must change your eating habits. When you eat, chew slowly and don't eat too much or too much at one time.

3. Avoid carbonated beverages and chewing gums at all times, and it is best not to drink beverages with straws, as these will increase gas intake invisibly.

4. Eat less food or desserts that contain fructose or sorbitol (sugar), because this is also the culprit of gas production.

5. Beans must be cooked until they are rotten before eating, because beans that are too hard are not only easy to digest but also cause flatulence.

6. Some people are particularly prone to gas or flatulence for certain foods, so they must avoid these specific foods based on past experience.

7. Don't sit for a long time after meals, you can do gentle and gentle exercise, which will help digestion.