Also referred to as: stomach pain, abdominal pain, upper abdomen pain, gastritis.
Introduction
Stomach pain after eating can have various causes. Usually they are harmless, but can be accompanied by a high level of suffering for the person affected. Stomach pain is usually expressed by stabbing or pulling pain in the left to middle upper abdomen.
Depending on the cause, they can disappear temporarily, be relapsing or persistent. People who suffer from such complaints should also pay attention to accompanying symptoms, as these can provide important clues to the cause of the pain. Below are some possible causes for stomach pain after eating and further measures are explained.
Causes of stomach pain after eating
Inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis): An inflammation of the stomach lining can be caused by various factors. It can be caused by autoimmune processes, whereby the body attacks its own stomach lining and causes an inflammatory reaction, but it can also be triggered by bacterial colonization (usually with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori) or chemical substances (drugs, environmental toxins, etc.). In all forms of gastritis, the mucous membrane reacts with an inflammatory reaction, which can be very painful.
In the case of an acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach, those affected usually experience severe pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, a general feeling of illness and loss of appetite. It is typical that the symptoms improve briefly while eating, but then reoccur even more strongly afterwards. If the gastritis is chronic, characteristic symptoms are not always present.
However, even in this form, patients can suffer from loss of appetite, pain in the upper abdomen and a feeling of fullness. In addition, there is often an aversion to certain foods. Peptic ulcer (ulcer): A peptic ulcer can be the result of an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach, but it can also develop without previous inflammation.
It is often caused by an imbalance between acid production and mucus production in the stomach, which leads to increased damage to the mucous membrane. Patients with a peptic ulcer usually suffer from stabbing pain in the stomach area, which becomes even worse when food is consumed. Nausea and vomiting may also occur.
If the ulcer is not located in the stomach but in the duodenum, the symptoms will initially tend to get better after eating. A peptic ulcer should generally be clarified by a tissue sample (biopsy), as a malignant disease can also be hidden behind it (stomach cancer). If you are allergic to certain foods, you may also experience stomach pain after eating them.
This is particularly common in the case of a milk protein allergy (lactose intolerance), but can also occur with other foods. In addition, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, increased bowel sounds and flatulence are also common. If the complaints occur conspicuously often after the consumption of a certain food, it should be avoided in order to see whether the complaints become less frequent or even stop altogether.
Irritable bowel syndrome: Irritable bowel syndrome is when no organic cause can be found for the symptoms despite longstanding complaints. Patients nevertheless suffer greatly, as they repeatedly complain of severe abdominal cramps, constipation or diarrhea, nausea and also a feeling of fullness. The complaints are often related to psychological stress situations and often occur after eating.
Since the exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome is not yet known, it is important that the patient finds out for himself what is good for him and what alleviates the symptoms. This can vary greatly from patient to patient. For some patients, it helps to avoid certain foods, for others it helps them to take physical exercise to better cope with their stress.
In principle, other causes for the complaints must also be considered. Pain in the upper abdomen does not always actually come from the stomach. The cause can also lie in other organs.
Possible causes could be gallstones, an inflammation of the gall bladder or a heart attack. For this reason, long-term complaints should always be clarified by a physician to rule out more serious diseases in time. Certain medications – especially many painkillers – can also cause stomach pain if taken continuously.
If stomach pain occurs during therapy with a drug, it should be checked by a doctor whether the additional prescription of a stomach medicine would be appropriate.Stomach ache after a meal occurs especially if alcohol was consumed with the meal. Alcohol also produces gastric acid, which leads to stomach ache if the mucous membrane is damaged. Furthermore, alcohol itself causes direct irritation of the stomach. This leads to a worsening of the symptoms. For this reason, patients who complain of stomach pain after eating are recommended to withdraw alcohol.
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