What you should know about stomach pain
Stomach pain is very unpleasant and you want to relieve or resolve it as quickly as possible. Stomach complaints are often caused by problems with stomach acid. Stomach acid is needed to digest food and is found in the stomach. The stomach lining covers and protects the stomach wall and produces stomach acid. For various reasons, the stomach lining can become locally thinner. The protective effect of the stomach lining decreases, allowing the acid to irritate parts of the stomach wall. This causes stomach pain. Read here how you can identify the possible cause of the pain and relieve stomach pain.
Advice for preventing stomach pain
Prevention is better than cure. Here are five tips that can help prevent stomach complaints:
– Do not drink too much coffee, tea, alcohol or carbonated soft drinks
– Avoid large portions and heavy or fatty foods
– Do not eat too quickly and chew thoroughly
– Do not skip meals
– Avoid garlic, onion, legumes, spicy herbs and chocolate
Symptoms of stomach pain
- Pain in the abdomen or stomach area
- Burning sensation behind the breastbone
- Nausea
- Pain radiating to the back, shoulder blades and neck
- In some cases, the pain increases when you feel hungry and eating something can reduce the stomach pain
Testing for stomach pain
For persistent stomach pain, stool testing through Darmklachten.nl may help. See our recommended test packages and individual modules below.
Causes of stomach pain
Stomach pain can have various causes. If stomach pain persists, it is advisable to seek help from a doctor and have tests performed to determine what is going on. Possible causes of the pain include:
- A food intolerance
- Inflammation of the stomach, intestine or esophagus
- A bacterial infection, for example with Helicobacter pylori
- Medication, such as anti-inflammatory painkillers – Inflammation of the stomach lining can be caused by the use of anti-inflammatory painkillers such as Diclofenac, Ibuprofen and Naproxen. These are Non Steroid Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). Other medications can also cause stomach pain and stomach complaints.
- Stomach cancer
A blood or stool test can indicate what is causing the stomach complaints. If there is an underlying disease, it will need to be treated. It is important to detect this as early as possible. So do not wait unnecessarily long before having a test performed.
More information about the tests
- Digestive parameters pH, fat, starch, color and consistency of the stool – Read more…
- Intestinal flora analysis – Analysis of the composition of the intestinal microbiota – read more…
- Helicobacter pylori – Bacterium that causes stomach ulcers – read more…
- Antigliadin and anti-ht-Transglutaminase – Markers for gluten intolerance – read more…
- Calprotectin – Inflammation marker for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – read more…
- Transferrin – Traces of blood in the upper part of the digestive tract – read more…
About darmklachten.nl
Darmklachten.nl is an initiative of MGlab&Advies, a laboratory specializing in stool testing. …read more
