Epigastralgia (epigastric pain): causes and treatments

Epigastric pain is one of the most common gastrointestinal pains.. In most cases it is due to indigestion, although it can also be caused by physical illnesses, especially esophageal reflux disease.

In this article we will analyze what pain in the epigastrium consists of, what other symptoms appear associated with it, What are its most common causes and what treatments are there? to combat it.

What is epigastralgia?

The term "epigastralgia" is used to designate the pain that occurs in the epigastrium. This denomination corresponds to the upper medial part of the abdomen, located between the navel and the ribs, behind the sternum.

In the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) epigastric pain is listed as "pain in the epigastrium". In this manual it is roughly equated with indigestion or dyspepsia, although there are many possible causes for this type of pain.

Especially epigastric pain associated with esophageal reflux disease, which causes heartburn and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Although by itself epigastric pain is not considered a severe symptom, it can be caused by this and other diseases that require medical intervention.

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Associated symptoms

Epigastralgia is itself a symptom of different diseases and transient disorders that affect the stomach. It can appear in isolation but it is very common for other gastrointestinal symptoms to occur simultaneously, which vary depending on the specific causes of discomfort.

Thus, pain in the epigastrium is often accompanied by the following symptoms:

• Acidity, burning or sourness (pyrosis)
• stomach bloating
• Excessive feeling of fullness after eating
• Burping with or without regurgitation of food or liquid
• loss of appetite
• Nausea
• vomiting
• flatulence
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Insomnia (as a consequence of discomfort)

Causes of epigastralgia

The main causes of epigastralgia are related to the digestive systemAlthough this symptom may also be due to changes in other parts of the body.

1. Dyspepsia (indigestion)

"Dyspepsia" is the general term used to describe any disorder that affects digestion, so that it is a very common syndrome in the general population and among people who come to the clinic medical. In addition to epigastralgia, it can cause other gastrointestinal symptoms, such as heartburn, nausea and flatulence.

It is a mostly benign disorder, which can be transitory or chronic and is generally due to an unhealthy diet. Usually indigestion is due to excessive intake, being different types of food more or less likely to cause indigestion in each person.

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2. esophageal reflux disease

Esophageal reflux disease causes stomach acid to flow into the esophagus, which connects the stomach to the throat. this damages the esophagus and throat, which are not protected by the stomach lining.

This disorder can cause symptoms such as epigastric pain, heartburn, breathing and swallowing difficulties, chronic cough and chest pain, which appears as a consequence of inflammation of the esophagus.

3. alcohol consumption

The consumption of large amounts of alcohol, especially if it occurs chronically, irritates and damages the lining of the stomach, making this organ inflamed and more vulnerable to acid than produces. In this way, the set of gastrointestinal symptoms that we have previously described can appear.

4. Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the fetus presses on the abdominal walls., which can cause pain in the epigastrium and other areas of the abdomen. In addition, the hormonal changes that occur in this period can cause acid reflux and other gastrointestinal disorders, and therefore epigastric pain.

5. Gastritis

Gastritis consists of inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which protects the stomach from digestive acid. Like epigastritis, it can be caused by a wide variety of reasons, from poor diet and psychophysiological stress to infections or the abuse of certain substances.

6. Peptic ulcer

Peptic ulcers are lesions that occur in the mucosa that lines the stomach. They appear when the defenses of the digestive system are not enough to control the agents that attack it, mainly bacteria infections Helicobacter pylori and the excessive and continued consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Treatment and management

The most appropriate treatment for epigastralgia depends on the cause of the pain. Changing habits is usually very effective, especially at the food level; specifically it is recommended reduce fat intake and the amount of food that is ingested so that the stomach is in the best possible state.

In some cases, medical intervention may be necessary, mainly if the symptoms are very severe or the cause of the epigastralgia is one of the diseases that we have mentioned in the previous section, such as peptic ulcer and esophageal reflux.

At the symptomatic level, the consumption of omeprazole and other drugs that reduce gastric acid production, but only if they are prescribed by doctors. In general, the best way to manage epigastralgia is to acquire healthier eating habits, since indigestion is the most common cause of this problem.

Caution must be exercised when consuming ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs since, as we have said, they can be aggressive for the stomach. If you are taking these medications and symptoms of epigastric pain develop, it is probably more appropriate to change your pain reliever.