Gas - flatulence

Alternative Names:

Flatulence (flatus)

Home Care:

Eat more slowly.
Chew your food thoroughly.
Avoid gum chewing.
Relax while you eat.
Avoid beans, cabbage, and carbonated beverages.
Try Beano, a product sold over-the-counter at most drugstores, if you eat a lot of beans, fruits, vegetables, and other high-fiber foods.
Walk for 10 to 15 minutes after eating.
Drink peppermint or chamomile tea after a meal.

Call your health care provider if:

Call your doctor if:

Your have other symptoms in addition to gas, like abdominal or rectal pain, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or weight loss.
You have oily, foul-smelling, or bloody stools.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

Your doctor will perform a physical examination with special attention to your abdomen, and ask questions about your symptoms, such as:

What is your diet like?
Has it recently changed?
What foods do you eat commonly?
What foods have you eaten recently?
Have you increased the fiber in your diet?
How fast do you eat, chew, and swallow?
Would you say that your gas is mild or severe?
Does your gas seem to be related to eating milk products or other specific foods?
What seems to make your gas better?
What medications do you take?
Do you have other symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, early satiety (premature fullness after meals), bloating , or weight loss ?

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

Barium enema x-ray
Barium swallow x-ray
Blood studies such as CBC or blood differential
Sigmoidoscopy
Abdominal ultrasound
Abdominal CT scan
Upper endoscopy (EGD)

References:

Birrer RB. Irritable bowel syndrome. Dis Mon . 2002; 48(2): 105-143.

Lovelace HY. Diagnosis, symptoms, and calcium intakes of individuals with self-reported lactose intolerance. J Am Coll Nutr . 2005; 24(1): 51-57.

Andrès E. Food-cobalamin malabsorption in the elderly. Am J Med . 2002; 113(4): 351-352.

Intestinal gas

Abdominal ultrasound

Review Date: 5/8/2006
Reviewed By: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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