Gas (Flatulence) and Bloating Caused by Another Medical Problem
Gas and bloating can have many causes, including:
- Bowel obstruction. Symptoms may include
abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, gas, and bloating.
- Cirrhosis of the liver. Symptoms may include a poor
appetite, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, a bloated (distended) abdomen, and
dull abdominal discomfort.
- Colon or rectal cancer. Symptoms may include diarrhea or constipation, narrow stools,
abdominal pain, bloating, gas, weight loss, and decreased
appetite.
- Crohn's disease. Symptoms may include
lower abdominal cramping, diarrhea, weight loss, fever, and bleeding from the
rectum.
- Diabetes. People who have long-standing
diabetes may develop bowel problems that cause bloating and gas.
- Diverticulitis. Symptoms may include abdominal
cramping, diarrhea, bloating, and gas.
- Gallstones.
Symptoms may include pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, chest, upper
back, or right shoulder following a meal of high-fat foods. Additional symptoms
include nausea, vomiting, fever, belching, gas, heartburn, or pale
stools.
- Ovarian cancer. When symptoms are
present they may be vague, such as weight gain, increased abdominal girth, gas,
and bloating. Ovarian cancer frequently does not cause
symptoms.
- Parasitic infections, such as
giardiasis, worms, or
amebiasis. Symptoms may include diarrhea, dehydration,
mucus or blood in the stools, abdominal cramps, fatigue, weight loss, and gas.
- Peptic ulcer disease. Symptoms include a burning,
aching, gnawing pain between the belly button and the breastbone that may
extend to the back, loss of appetite, weight loss, bloating, gas, nausea, or
vomiting.
- Splenic flexure syndrome. In this chronic condition, gas
becomes trapped at the bends in the colon. Symptoms include bloating, muscle
spasms, and upper abdominal pain.
- Ulcerative colitis. The most common symptoms are abdominal pain or cramping and
diarrhea.
Gas also often occurs during the recovery phase of abdominal surgery.
Gas-bloat syndrome may occur after surgery to correct
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine |
| Last Revised | July 12, 2011 |