Contents
Every year, more and more patients come to the doctor’s office complaining about digestive problems and various types of digestive system ailments. Some of the most common problems of patients are: indigestion, heartburn, gas, bloating and severe abdominal pain. Physicians blame the troublesome ailments on an unhealthy diet and an irregular lifestyle in which there is no place to rest, well-balanced meals eaten at specific times and intervals, as well as stress and chronic fatigue. Among the diagnoses made by specialists, functional dyspepsia appears more and more often.
Functional dyspepsia in the eyes of specialists
Dorota Waśko-Czopnik, MD, PhD, representing the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, perfectly explains the essence of the problem, citing the origin of the name of this increasingly common disease. Dyspepsia in the exact translation it means bad digestion (gr. dys – bad and peptein – digestion). Dyspepsia is therefore defined as a set of chronic or recurrent symptoms involving pain and/or discomfort in the middle of the epigastrium. Specialists used to divide ailments into three categories:
- Dyspepsia undiagnosed
- Dyspepsia organic
- Dyspepsia functional
The first type of the disease is described in patients previously undiagnosed for digestive disorders. This group may also include patients who have not yet been diagnosed with organic dyspepsia. This type of disease, in turn, is associated with the presence of recognized changes in the digestive tract. Abnormalities, on the other hand, are the cause of symptoms typical of digestive disorders. The last category mentioned by specialists is functional dyspepsia, which is said when digestive ailments appear, but tests do not show any deviations in the digestive system. Dr. D. Waśko-Czopnik emphasizes that the third type of the disease affects more and more people, so it is worth getting to know the symptoms of the disease in order to visit a specialist early enough and take the right treatment.
Dyspepsia — symptoms of most patients
Each body functions according to its own rules, so the symptoms of the disease may vary from patient to patient. Despite the discrepancies, specialists managed to create a list of the most common symptoms of functional dyspepsia. Doctors from the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology list the following signs of digestive problems:
- Feeling full after a meal
- Feeling of fullness in the epigastrium
- Flatulence
- Pain in the middle epigastrium
- Nausea
- Early feeling of fullness after a meal
- Food retention
- bouncing
- Burning in the epigastrium
- Vomiting
It is worth noting that the symptoms do not have to occur simultaneously, so they are sometimes ignored by patients and noticed only when they start to worsen. Many patients mistakenly interpret them as a one-time food poisoning, resigning from a visit to the doctor. It is therefore important to remember that repeated symptoms require specialist control and appropriate treatment.
Dyspepsia – treatment can be effective
It is said that Poles are a nation of doctors, because the vast majority of us are convinced of their medical knowledge, which is why they often decide to treat themselves with home methods and remedies available in pharmacies without a prescription. Despite the growing social awareness, many of us, suspecting digestive disorders, do not decide to visit a specialist, starting treatment from searching the Internet. Searching for the phrase “Stomach dyspepsia – how to deal with it?” may not be enough. It is necessary to consult a doctor and take the recommended treatment. Only then will digestive disorders be alleviated and the daily meal will cease to be a challenge.Stomach dyspepsia is one of the most troublesome and unpleasant ailments, but following the doctor’s recommendations and following the rules of healthy eating will effectively eliminate persistent symptoms. Prevention is also important. To avoid unpleasant ailments, you should avoid eating in a hurry, excessive overeating, irregular meals, eating right before bedtime and unhealthy dishes. In return, it is worth eating regularly, composing the menu so that it contains all the necessary nutrients. The way to avoid gastric dyspepsia is therefore a balanced lifestyle and a healthy diet.