Swollen belly: Is there a disease behind it??
Everyone knows it when the abdomen is swollen or bloated for a short time. Air often accumulates in the abdomen, which escapes on its own after a while.
However, if this swelling persists or occurs more often than normal, a medical condition may be the cause of a bloated belly. In the following, we therefore present various possibilities that can be behind a fat belly.
Swollen, bloated abdomen: What could be behind it??
A swollen and bloated abdomen does not have to mean a disease. However, you should still continue to observe how the swelling behaves, whether it heals on its own or whether it stays longer and causes pain.
The following causes can have a swollen, thick abdomen:
Ascites
liver cirrhosis
gastritis
Food intolerance
Tumor/Cancer
Ascites – water in the belly
In addition to air retention, a large amount of water or other fluids can also be stored in the abdomen, or in the abdominal cavity. Here one speaks of a Ascites, colloquially also abdominal dropsy or water belly called.
The typical Symptoms of an ascites are:
Feeling of prere in the abdomen
Pain
Breathing problems
Circulatory disorders
Often, ascites points to a more serious condition. Possible Causes of ascites are a Cirrhosis of the liver, Heart failure, peritonitis or Cancer. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor at the slightest signs of ascites and to have the causes examined. About 80 percent of ascites cases are due to cirrhosis of the liver. So water in the belly can be quite deadly if you don't find out the cause quickly.
In the treatment of ascites, two goals are pursued. On the one hand, it is necessary to fight the cause and reduce the swelling of the abdomen to relieve the patient's pain. Thus, diseases of the liver are often accompanied by saline or low-salt diet and draining medication treats. If this does not work, the doctor has the option of removing the fluid in the abdominal cavity using a small surgical intervention to remove.
Cirrhosis of the liver
Should the cause of the water in the abdomen be found to be cirrhosis of the liver acted immediately become. In cirrhosis of the liver, the liver tie perishes and gradually transforms into connective tie, scarring it. Due to the increasing transformation of the tie, the organ function decreases, which can lead to liver failure.
The Causes of liver cirrhosis can be different. In industrialized countries, more than half of the cases are due to a high alcohol consumption before. By the way, in patients Liver inflammation be the trigger.
The following Symptoms can indicate cirrhosis of the liver:
Fatigue
Weakness in performance
Weight loss
Feeling of fullness in the upper abdomen
Bloated belly without flatulence
Reddening of the palms
Yellowing of the sclera of the eyes
Cracked corners of the mouth
The progression of cirrhosis of the liver can be halted if the cause is addressed at the same time. Thus, the patient must avoid all substances harmful to the liver, first of all alcohol.
Certain medications can also harm the liver. In order to treat the underlying disease, the doctor prescribes certain medications for the patient to combat the cirrhosis of the liver. In addition, diuretic medications help fight dropsy and relieve symptoms.
Gastritis
If the swollen abdomen is accompanied by acute stomach pain, gastritis is a common cause. Thereby it pulls and presses in the upper abdomen below the breastbone. The stomach lining lines the inside of the stomach. So that the stomach does not digest itself, it produces a mucus, which lays itself protectively over the stomach lining. If this protective layer is attacked, it can lead to a Gastritis, also called gastritis.
The only way to find out if someone is suffering from gastritis is to undergo a gastroscopy. The treatment takes place on an outpatient basis in a doctor's office. If gastritis has been identified as the cause, various medications can help eliminate the inflammation.
You should also avoid things that can irritate your stomach, such as smoking, alcohol or acidic foods. In addition, a diet that is gentle on the stomach should be observed for healing.
For example, light foods, such as oatmeal, rusks, cooked rice or soups are considered to be easy to digest and are said to help fight inflammation.
Intolerances
Intolerances, especially of certain foods, can also lead to a bloated stomach. Thus occur more and more Intolerances to Lactose, Fructose or Gluten at. In itself, a bloated stomach due to food intolerance is nothing dangerous.
It is only very unpleasant for those affected, as there is increased symptoms can come:
Abdominal pain
Nausea
Vomiting
Flatulence
Bloated belly
Stool urge
The easiest way to find out about food intolerance is through various tests. These are offered by many gastroenterologists. For example, there are breath tests to find out the intolerance of different types of sugar.
In the case of intolerance, the treatment is simply that Food, which cause problems, omitted will.
After a while, the digestion then regulates itself again and the complaints subside.
Tumor/ cancer
Unfortunately, it may also be the case that behind a fat belly is not a harmless disease, but a tumor, or rather cancer, such as stomach cancer.
The Symptoms in stomach cancer are initially very Non-specific, which is why cancer is often not immediately amed to be a disease:
Feeling of prere in the upper abdomen
Pain during eating and after eating
Swallowing difficulties
nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Dark coloration of the stool
A clear cause for the development of stomach cancer is not yet known.
However, there are some Risk factors, which can promote the development of the tumor:
Taking a very salty diet
Low consumption of dietary fiber
Smoked, cured and grilled foods
Smoking
If the stomach cancer is detected early, a minimally invasive surgery can be performed. In this case, the tumor is removed through a gastroscopy with many, small cuts in the skin. If the stomach cancer is already more advanced, the complete removal of the stomach is also a measure to combat the disease. In this case, the stomach remnant is directly connected to the small intestine, so that food passage is still possible.
Surgery is often followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Chemotherapy is often used before surgery in order to shrink the tumor before surgery and thus make it operable.
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