Belly swelling – an inflamed abdomen or a swollen stomach – is a very common condition, which affects mostly women, but what are its main causes? We reveal them to you.
It is quite likely that at some point you have felt a bloated stomach. We are facing a very common annoyance, which although it can affect both men and women, is actually a common condition especially in women. In fact, did you know that one in three women suffer from bloating? Furthermore, it is estimated that between 50 and 70% of women tend to suffer from a swollen belly during menstruation.
It can certainly become an aesthetic problem, although it is rather a discomfort due to the different annoying symptoms that tend to arise, especially because we feel heavy, sore and uncomfortable, it is common for the pants that we wear to tighten, and these discomforts are they translate in turn into irritability of our spirits.
Medically, belly bloating is known as abdominal distention. As its name suggests, it consists of the presence of a swollen abdomen; that is, it occurs when the ventral area is larger than normal. It is a problem that can occur in both thin and obese people, but there is no doubt that the sensation of an increase in the abdominal area is much more evident when the rest of the person’s body is within normal (or healthy) measures. ).
What are the causes of belly bloat? Why do we usually have a bloated stomach?
The causes that cause the appearance of a belly swelling are actually very varied. It can become a symptom of a digestive disorder or a pathology, although it can also arise as a result of certain dietary or eating habits that cause the appearance of an inflated abdomen.
Food intolerances
Food intolerances become one of the most common factors as the main cause of bloating. We must differentiate intolerances from food allergies, since the latter usually cause much more serious acute symptoms.
When a person has a food intolerance it may be due to a nonallergic food histaminosis, consisting of an acquired disease without a genetic basis derived from a specific gastric condition (such as gastroenteritis), a drug treatment or a parasitization.
Among its most common symptoms, in addition to the belly swelling itself, we can mention: headaches, constipation or diarrhea, muscle aches and dehydration of the intervetrable discs.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Also known simply by the name of irritable bowel, it consists of an intestinal condition that in addition to bloating in the belly causes gas and flatulence, continuous constipation that alternates with periods of diarrhea, cramps that only disappear when you go to the bathroom, abdominal cramps, fatigue and an upset stomach.
The truth is that for the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome to occur, it is necessary for the person to feel these symptoms for at least 12 weeks throughout the year.
Dyspepsia
Dyspepsia is characterized by slow digestion and delayed gastric emptying, causing intestinal gas, bloating, and uncomfortable abdominal pain.
It arises above all as a consequence of very copious meals, which cause the digestive process to slow down and to produce a greater number of fermentations.
Fluid retention
Fluid retention also tends to be another common cause of belly swelling, especially when we have a certain tendency for edema to occur, as a result of the accumulation of fluids in our body.
In addition to the increase in the abdomen itself, it also tends to cause leg swelling, tending to be much more intense in this area.
Certain eating habits
As we mentioned in a previous section, in many cases belly swelling is due only to certain eating habits or certain lifestyles, without any disease or health disorder influencing its appearance.
For example, overeating causes stomach heaviness, which in most cases translates into the appearance of gas and flatulence, and in turn, an annoying bloating of the abdomen.
How to reduce inflammation of the stomach or belly?
Obviously, the key is to try to find out the cause that is causing the inflammation of the stomach or abdomen, and obviously try to avoid it.
For example, it is very common for us to feel an inflamed stomach when we suffer from gastroenteritis, since the stomach virus tends to cause inflammation. Therefore, in this specific case it is to treat gastroenteritis by reducing its symptoms and, above all, in case of diarrhea, drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
