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Indigestion is a symptom of a digestive system disorder because, in this condition, a person starts to feel pain and discomfort in their stomach, especially in their upper abdomen.
- Indigestion is also known as Dyspepsia or an upset stomach.
- Indigestion is caused because of improper digestion and inadequate enzyme secretion.
- Smoking and consumption of alcohol can also lead to indigestion as well.
- Indigestion can cause pain or a burning sensation in your stomach and/or abdomen.
- Indigestion can be an indication of various digestive disorders such as gallstones, peptic and stomach ulcers, and gastritis.
- Indigestion can be treated with the help of antibiotics and by practising healthy eating habits.
Key Terms: Indigestion, Dyspepsia, Enzyme Secretion, Small Intestine, Stomach, Pancreas, Digestive Enzymes, Digestive Glands
What is Indigestion?
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Indigestion refers to a condition where a person starts to feel full moments after eating and suffers from pain in their stomach or abdomen, especially the upper abdomen because the food is not properly digested. It is one of the most common symptoms of a digestive system disorder.
Indigestion in Stomach
- Also known as Dyspepsia or an Upset Stomach
- Reason behind no proper digestion of food: Not enough secretion of digestive enzymes
- Digestive Enzymes are secreted by the Digestive Glands, Stomach, Small Intestine, and Pancreas.
- Indigestion causes uncomfortable feelings such as a burning sensation or pain in a person’s stomach or abdomen along with bloating.
- Indigestion can help in detecting digestive disorders such as gastritis and ulcers.
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Causes of Indigestion
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The following are some of the causes or reasons behind Indigestion:
- Not rough secretion of digestive enzymes is done by the digestive glands that help in the digestion and absorption of food.
- Overconsumption of alcohol, caffeine, chocolates, and carbonated beverages such as sparkling water and soft drinks.
- Smoking as it hurts the lining of the stomach.
Indigestion Causes
- Eating junk or unhealthy food which includes a lot of fat, spice, and grease.
- Eating food too quickly, not giving it enough time to digest completely.
- Doing heavy physical work immediately after eating food.
- Overeating or continuing eating when a person’s stomach is already full.
- Undereating or refusing to eat even when a person is hungry.
- Mental health problems such as Depression and Anxiety.
- Side effects caused because of consumption of certain medication.
- Presence of any digestive disorder.
Symptoms of Indigestion
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You can know if a person is having Indigestion by checking for the following signs or symptoms:
- Pain or burning sensation in the throat and chest
- Unpleasant feelings such as chomping along with pain and/ or burning sensation in the stomach
- Pain in the abdomen and or along with bloating in the upper abdomen
- Feeling full while eating food or immediately after
- Difficulty while swallowing
- Loss of appetite
- Sudden weight loss
- Weakness
- Formation of gas
- Vomiting and belching often
- Unpleasant breath
Digestive System Diseases
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Indigestion can often indicate the presence of digestive disorders in a person’s body. So, if a person has Indigestion, there are changes that they might be suffering from the following digestive disorders or diseases:
- Stomach or Peptic Ulcer: It is a condition in which sore and painful ulcers start developing in the inner stomach lining, lower oesophagus, stomach, and intestines. They primarily occur because of inflammation of the stomach.
- Gallstones: They are stones or lumps that get deposited in the gallbladder and block the bile duct if allowed to remain for a long period.
- Gastritis: It refers to a group of conditions that occur in the stomach when the lining of the stomach is completely inflamed or worn away. Gastritis can be further classified into Chronic Gastritis and Acute Gastritis, depending on its severity. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): It refers to a condition in which the acid from the stomach starts to move towards the esophagus or food pipe. GERD primarily occurs in the stomach when there is an improper amount of bile and stomach acid (Hydrochloric acid or HCl) are present in a person’s body.
- Food Allergy or Food Intolerance: When a person eats any food which does not suit their body or when their body refuses to accept it, it is known as food allergy or food intolerance.
- Cancer related to the digestive body parts such as the esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestines.
Another major digestive disorder is gastrointestinal disease, among others.
Read Also: Gastric: Meaning, Causes,Symptoms & Diagnosis
Treatment of Indigestion
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Indigestion can be treated through the following:
- Consumption of various medications such as Antibiotics, Prokinetics, and Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) as prescribed by the doctor
- Consumption of Antacids that can be bought from any pharmacy
- Chewing and swallowing food properly
- Drinking enough water
- Avoiding eating unhealthy or junk food and drinking alcohol
- Adopting healthy eating habits
- Exercising regularly
- Maintaining weight
- Having proper sleep
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Things to Remember
- Indigestion is a condition where the food is not properly digested by the body due to which a person feels pain in their stomach and abdomen.
- Indigestion is often caused by overeating, undereating, eating junk food, consuming alcohol, smoking, and having any digestive disease and/ or mental health problems.
- Some common symptoms of Indigestion include pain or burning sensation in the stomach and abdomen, vomiting, feeling full during or just after eating, bad breath, bloating, and formation of gas.
- The presence of Indigestion can indicate the presence of digestive disorders like stomach ulcers, peptic ulcers, gallstones, chronic gastritis, acute gastritis, food allergy, GERD, and the presence of liver and pancreatic diseases.
- Indigestion can be treated by taking proper medication prescribed by the doctor, having antacids, avoiding alcohol and junk food, exercising regularly, and adopting healthy eating habits such as chewing food properly.
Sample Questions
Ques: What is Indigestion? (3 marks)
Ans: Indigestion is also known as Dyspepsia or an upset stomach. It is a digestive condition in which a person starts to feel full immediately after eating and/ or feels pain or burning sensation in their stomach and abdomen because the food is not digested properly by the body.
The improper digestion of food can be attributed to inadequate secretion of digestive enzymes by the digestive glands and digestive organs such as the stomach, small intestine, and pancreas in the body.
Most importantly, Indigestion is not a digestive disorder or disease but rather a symptom or indicator of the presence of digestive disorders.
Ques: What are Digestive Enzymes? (5 marks)
Ans: Digestive Enzymes refer to a group of enzymes that help in breaking down food into smaller particles, that can be absorbed by the body easily and quickly. There are mainly four types of digestive enzymes: Amylase, Protease, Lipase, and Nuclease.
While Digestive Enzymes are found in almost all body parts, the following are some of the common ones:
| Body Part | Digestive Enzyme |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Lipase, Ptyalin or Salivary Amylase, Lysozyme |
| Stomach | Pepsin, Gastric Lipase, Hydrochloric Acid (HCl), Intrinsic Factor (IF), Mucin, Gastrin |
| Pancreas | Trypsinogen, Chymotrypsinogen, Carboxypeptidase ,Steapsin on Pancreatic Lipase, Pancreatic Amylase |
| Small Intestine | Secretin, Cholecystokinin (CCK), Gastric Inhibitory Peptide (GIP), Motilin, Maltase, Sucrase, Lactase |
Ques: What are the main or major causes of Indigestion? (2 marks)
Ans: The main or major causes of Indigestion are Overeating and eating too quickly. When a person overeats or keeps on eating even when they do not want to, it puts pressure on the body to digest a huge amount of food in less time, resulting in some food not getting digested properly. In addition to it, when a person eats their food too quickly, they give less time to the digestive enzymes to break the food evenly and hence, cause indigestion.
Ques: How can a person diagnose Indigestion? (4 marks)
Ans: A person can diagnose indigestion by looking for the following symptoms:
- Unpleasant feelings such as chomping along with pain and/or burning sensation in the stomach
- Pain in the abdomen and or along with bloating in the upper abdomen
- Feeling full while eating food or immediately after
- Pain or burning sensation in the throat and chest
- Difficulty in swallowing food
- Loss of appetite
- Sudden weight loss and weakness
- Formation of gas
- Vomiting and belching often along with unpleasant breath
If there is the presence of multiple symptoms mentioned above, especially the first three, there are high chances that a person is suffering from indigestion.
Ques: How can Indigestion be treated? (3 marks)
Ans: A person can treat Indigestion by adopting the following measures listed below:
- Taking antibiotics and antacids
- Chewing and swallowing their food properly
- Drinking enough water
- Avoiding eating unhealthy food, smoking, and drinking alcohol
- Adopting healthy eating habits
- Exercising regularly and maintaining their weight
- Having proper sleep
Ques: What digestive disorders or diseases can be predicted through Indigestion? (3 marks)
Ans: The following are three of the most common digestive disorders or diseases that can be identified with the presence of Indigestion:
- Stomach or Peptic Ulcer: It is a condition in which sore and painful ulcers start developing in the inner stomach lining, lower esophagus, stomach, and intestines. They primarily occur because of inflammation of the stomach.
- Gallstones: They are stones or lumps that get deposited in the gallbladder and block the bile duct if allowed to remain for a long period.
- Gastritis: It refers to a group of conditions that occur in the stomach when the lining of the stomach is completely inflamed or worn away. It can be further classified into Chronic Gastritis and Acute Gastritis.
Ques: What are some of the most common digestive disorders? (3 marks)
Ans: The following are the three most common digestive disorders or diseases that a person can suffer from:
- Jaundice: In Jaundice, a person’s liver is damaged, due to which the bile segments start to get collected in their body, and turn their eyes and skin into a yellow-ish color
- Diarrhea: It refers to abnormal bowel movements which result in a person needing to discharge their feces frequently. The feces are mostly in a liquid state.
- Constipation: It refers to a state in which a person is not able to discharge their feces because of irregular bowel movement that results in feces getting stuck in the colon.
Ques: Who all can suffer from Indigestion? (2 marks)
Ans: Any person of any age, ranging from an infant to an old person, can suffer from Indigestion. Since people of all ages need to eat food to survive, their bodies follow the process of digestion, and wherever there is a process of digestion, there is always a chance of indigestion.
However, older people are more prone to indigestion because, over time, the muscles in their gastrointestinal tract start to weaken and cause acid reflux, which can lead to indigestion.
Ques: Why does a person’s stomach and abdomen hurt when they suffer from Indigestion? (2 marks)
Ans: Indigestion is primarily caused when the food is not properly digested by the body. One of the reasons behind this improper digestion can be that a huge amount of acid present in the stomach comes in contact with the lining of the stomach, which further irritates and rupture it. It is this feeling of irritation that causes pain in the stomach and abdomen of a person suffering from indigestion.
Ques: What types of foods are known to cause Indigestion? (3 marks)
Ans: The following types of food and beverages are known to cause indigestion:
- Spicy Food: Pepper, Chilli Powder, Pizza
- Fatty Food: Street food, Cheese, Processed food, Bacon, Sausage
- Drinks that include Caffeine: Coffee, Tea
- Carbonated Drink: Soft drinks, Sparkling Water
- Alcohol
Ques: Can Indigestion stay for a long time? (2 marks)
Ans: The duration of Indigestion depends upon its severity and how much it has inflamed or ruptured the lining of the stomach. In most cases, Indigestion is not severe and can subside in a couple of hours after taking the required antibiotics or antacids. However, in severe or worse cases, Indigestion can stay for a long period if the lining of the stomach is completely damaged.
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