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Causes of belching, that is, the involuntary release of gas from the esophagus or stomach through the mouth, are very different. And this is not always a symptom of a disease.
In gastroenterology, all types of belching have been studied and clear cause-and-effect relationships of this symptom with certain pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as with other diseases or anatomical anomalies have been established.
Causes of belching air
The causes of air belching are swallowing air. While eating (and not only) a person swallows air (within 2 cm? per swallow). But if the volume of swallowed air exceeds the norm, then this process in medicine is called pneumatosis of the stomach or aerophagia. And the greater the amount of air swallowed, the more often its regurgitation occurs, that is, movement in the opposite direction. Therefore, the factors in the development of frequent belching in people, as well as constant aerophagia with air, in most cases are associated precisely with aerophagia, which is divided into physiological and pathological.
As experts note, physiological pneumatosis of the stomach is promoted by: drinking carbonated water and other drinks with gas, hasty eating and talking while eating, insufficient chewing of food and even frequent use of chewing gum.
Often physiological belching of air occurs after overeating, or when immediately after eating a person begins heavy physical work.
But there is also purely pathological aerophagia, which is absolutely not related to food intake. And then the immediate causes of belching air lie in:
- breathing through the mouth with difficulty inhaling air through the nose;
- hypersalivation (excessive secretion of saliva and frequent swallowing);
- neurotic state, hysterical psychosis (nervous aerophagia);
- impaired gastric motility (paresis) and decreased tone;
- hiatal hernia;
- achalasia of the esophagus (cardiospasm), in which there is no peristalsis of the esophagus, and the lower esophageal sphincter does not relax when swallowing;
- cardiovascular failure;
- aneurysm (protrusion of the wall) of the lower part of the aorta.
The causes of constant belching include frequent overeating, an abundance of fatty and spicy foods in the diet, as well as pathologies such as congenital narrowing of the lumen of the esophagus, bending of the stomach, dysfunction of the valve (sphincter) separating the esophagus and stomach.
Causes of belching after eating
The causes of belching after eating are often associated with malfunctions of such important organs as the pancreas and duodenum. Inflammatory processes in these organs – pancreatitis and duodenitis – lead to disruption of the process of food digestion, and regurgitation after eating tops the list of initial signs of these pathologies.
For some, the causes of belching food are caused by an imbalance of intestinal microflora, which results in impaired absorption of nutrients. In many cases of aerophagia by eating, the reverse movement of stomach contents into the esophagus (through the lower esophageal sphincter) is to blame. This is the so-called gastroesophageal (gastroesophageal) reflux.
The reflux of stomach contents back into the part of the digestive tract connecting the pharynx with the stomach is not considered a pathology if it occurs exclusively after eating, happens infrequently and does not cause heartburn. However, reflux, which occurs frequently and lasts quite a long time, especially at night, is a serious reason to consult a doctor, since such a symptom may indicate a malignant neoplasm in the gastrointestinal tract.
Causes of rotten burps
The causes of rotten belching are inflammation of the gastric mucosa (gastritis) with low acidity of gastric juice, or narrowing of the initial part of the duodenum, or stenosis of the pyloric part of the stomach. With these diseases, normal digestion of food is also difficult, and food partially decomposes with the release of hydrogen sulfide, which, as is known, has the smell of rotten eggs.
In some cases, they lie in the presence of a stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer in a person. Then, in addition to aerophagia, heartburn and bloating in the abdominal cavity are noted.
Also, the etiological factor of rotten belching can be gluten enteropathy or celiac disease – a chronic autoimmune disease, which is expressed in the body’s inability to digest gluten from cereals.
Causes of sour belching
The reasons for sour belching are simply explained: a patient with such complaints has inflammation of the gastric mucosa, that is, gastritis, but against the background of too high a content of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice. Hyperacid gastritis causes heartburn, aerophagia and nausea.
The reasons for belching foam are the same gastritis (acute, chronic or erosive). In this case, aerophagia can have a sour or bitter aftertaste.
The reasons for belching in the morning, the so-called hungry aerophagia with saliva, lie in the presence of gastritis that has settled in your stomach. It should be noted that among the most indicative clinical signs of the development of this disease are heartburn after eating and attacks of nausea, as well as clearly localized pain.
Causes of bitter belching
The main cause of bitter belching is the entry of bile into the stomach cavity, which has a bitter taste. During normal functioning of the digestive system, there should be no bile in the stomach: it is produced by liver cells, accumulates in the gallbladder, and then enters the duodenum and then into the intestines. But if the duodenum is compressed, or the pylorus of the stomach (the sphincter separating it from the duodenum) is weakened, then reflux of bile occurs along with the contents of the duodenum into the stomach and esophagus. Gastroenterologists call this pathology duodenogastric and duodenogastroesophageal reflux. And this is an alarming symptom, since the examination can reveal not only inflammation of the duodenum (duodenitis), but also the presence of a tumor.
In addition, the etiological factors of belching bile (bitterness) may relate directly to the gallbladder and liver. The formation of stones in the gallbladder (cholelithiasis) is possible, and the presence of biliary dyskinesia cannot be ruled out. And removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is the cause of constant belching of bile.
Excessive load on the liver in the form of fatty foods and alcohol leads to excessive secretion of hepatic bile, the taste of which is felt during aerophagia after eating.
Causes of belching with acetone
Doctors associate the most common causes of belching with acetone with a number of pathologies, but the appearance of the smell of acetone is almost always based on a biochemical factor such as incomplete hydrolysis of the proteins, fats and carbohydrates consumed in food.
Firstly, the smell of acetone from the mouth and belching of acetone can be indisputable evidence that the patient has diabetes. Secondly, the main etiological factor for belching with acetone is too high a content of proteins and fats in the diet with a lack of carbohydrates (glucose), as well as a complete absence or significant deficiency of proteins and fats in food (with “starvation” diets).
In addition, aerophagia with the smell of acetone can occur as a result of the content of large amounts of acetone, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate (ketone bodies) in the blood plasma, which is facilitated by pathologies of the liver (in which these ketone bodies are synthesized), diseases of the thyroid gland (thyrotoxicosis), tumors brain, etc.
Causes of belching in children
Pediatricians call swallowing air (aerophagia), which manifests itself due to underdevelopment of the nervous regulation system of the digestive system and immaturity of the lower esophageal valve, as the main cause of belching in children, particularly in infants. Or due to the presence of neuropathic syndrome in children in the first year of life. Both of these go away on their own over time.
Very often, the etiological factors of regurgitation in infants are associated with sucking a pacifier (which also swallows air), increased (greedy) sucking of the breast with a lack of milk production.
Aerophagia in infants looks like regurgitation of curdled milk, that is, in fact, it is the same gastroesophageal reflux.
In the first six months after birth, regurgitation in children is considered normal. You need to worry if the baby spits up after almost every feeding and does not gain weight.
Causes of belching during pregnancy
The causes of belching during pregnancy in the majority of cases are due to the fact that the uterus, which grows as the fetus develops, begins to put pressure on the abdominal organs and the diaphragm. In this case, the natural position of the stomach is disrupted, and the lower esophageal sphincter and the cardiac sphincter of the stomach may not cope with their functions, which leads to aerophagia.
In addition, a factor in the development of heartburn and belching during pregnancy is the relaxation of muscle tissue regulated by hormones, which leads to decreased peristalsis of the esophagus and slower movement of food.
Errors in the diet of a pregnant woman – fatty, spicy, fried – also make their “feasible contribution” to the appearance of acidic aerophagia. And the causes of bile belching during pregnancy are the gastroduodenal reflux described above, which occurs due to compression of the duodenum by the enlarged uterus.
As you can see for yourself, the causes of belching are indeed very diverse. And this physiological manifestation of the digestive system must be taken seriously, because it can be a signal of a number of diseases.