Retention of food in the stomach: causes

Portal, or congestive gastropathy, is a condition caused by stagnation in the stomach. The clinical condition is very common in liver cirrhosis. And although liver damage is the main causative agent of portal gastropathy, it is not the only cause of the disease. Gastric congestion can also occur as a result of bacterial infections, long-term use of certain medications, or bad habits such as alcohol or smoking. The disease must be treated, since therapeutic actions not provided in time can lead to life-threatening bleeding.

How does portal (congestive) gastropathy develop?

This is a disease in which inflammation of the gastric mucosa does not occur, but the epithelial cells of its walls are still damaged. In addition, the development of congestive gastropathy is facilitated by a lack of some enzymes. Stagnation in the stomach leads to disruption of the microcirculation of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in the so-called collateral circulation, which damages the walls of the stomach. Complications of congestive gastropathy are hidden bleeding and severe anemia - a life-threatening condition.

Diagnosis of pathology

Stagnation of food in the stomach is accompanied by a symptom complex similar to many other gastrointestinal diseases, so you should consult a gastroenterologist if digestive dysfunction occurs. A violation can be suspected by the nature of the vomit and its smell. After the examination, the doctor will write a referral for examination. The following instrumental diagnostic procedures will be informative:

Pathology can be diagnosed using x-rays.

Fibrogastroscopy. Inserting a probe into the stomach to identify the cause of the blockage and examine the walls of the organ. During the study, if indicated, it is possible to perform a tissue biopsy.
X-ray with barium contrast. Determines the shape of the stomach and the size of the stenosis.

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Risk factors for congestive gastropathy

The etiology of this disease has not been fully explained, but liver cirrhosis to be a causative factor in its development. Organ damage leads to portal vein occlusion and hemorrhage. The risk of getting sick increases with age. A cause-and-effect factor for congestive gastropathy is also an unhealthy lifestyle, for example, a person’s addiction to alcohol and smoking. In addition, certain medications can cause portal infections. Long-term use of analgesics, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs damages the mucous membrane of the stomach and liver, which is unable to get rid of excess toxins. People with stomach ulcers, reflux disease, and chronic bacterial infections, especially Helicobacter pylori, are also vulnerable to gastric congestion.

Liver functions

The liver, like other organs of the gastrointestinal tract, is involved in digestion. If its functioning is disrupted, dyspeptic symptoms occur. What role does the liver play in the digestive process?

The main function of the liver in the digestive process is to regulate the secretion and release of bile. It is bile, along with gastric juice, that breaks down food.

In addition to its main function, the liver performs the following tasks:

participates in the metabolism of proteins, peptides and carbohydrates;
performs a detoxification function, neutralizes all toxins and converts them into non-toxic substances;
synthesizes glycogen.

Bile is produced by liver cells and is included in the digestion process as soon as it enters the lumen of the duodenum. It comes into effect replacing gastric juice after gastric digestion. Bile neutralizes the effects of stomach acid.

activates the absorption of nutrients by the walls of the small intestine;
enhances the hydrolysis of proteins and carbohydrates;
enhances intestinal motor function;
participates in parietal digestion;
stimulates pancreatic secretion;
prevents the development of fermentation processes in the intestines.

When there is insufficient bile production, food is not digested properly, causing indigestion.

Bile is produced continuously by the liver, but its production increases precisely when food enters the gastrointestinal tract.

Let's consider what else, besides improper liver function, can affect poor digestion.

Types of portal gastropathy

Depending on the course of the disease, portal cholestasis is divided into two types:

Mild degree - on the endoscopic image of the stomach, a mosaic of the mucous membrane is noticeable, but it is not yet very pronounced. The probability of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract is 3-30%.
Severe degree - membranous mosaic of submucosal hemorrhage of the stomach is very noticeable. The risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract is 40-60%.

The diagnosis of congestive gastropathy is complicated by the fact that at first the disease does not manifest itself with any characteristic symptomatic signs.

Causes of food stagnation in the stomach

Not every person knows what gastric atony is. Many people first encounter this concept only in the doctor’s office. This type of disease does not occur very often.

But there are many reasons for its occurrence, such as:

congenital organ anomaly;
general exhaustion of the body;
endocrine diseases;
being in constant stressful situations;
dysfunction of the nervous system due to intoxication with toxic components;
thrombosis of gastric vessels;
damage to nerve endings during surgery;
regular overeating, which led to stretching of the walls of the organ.

The causes of the pathology are often hidden in sudden weight loss due to stressful situations, depression or anorexia. If the provoking factor is not eliminated in a timely manner, the symptoms of atony will progress further, becoming more severe.

Symptoms of portal (congestive) gastropathy

The onset of the disease is completely asymptomatic. Only over time does a number of signs of dyspeptic disorders appear, for example:

progressive general weakness,
abdominal pain of varying intensity,
nausea, sometimes vomiting,
lack of appetite,
feeling full after eating, regardless of the amount of food eaten,
burning in the stomach and esophagus, belching,
dark color of the stool if bleeding occurs from the gastrointestinal tract.

Portal gastropathy may present with anemia, which is visible on laboratory tests.

Preventing poor stomach digestion

If your stomach cannot cope with digesting food, you should follow preventive measures, which include:

limiting the consumption of fatty and spicy foods;
reduce salt intake;
exclude adherence to strict diets;
give up fast food;
reduce sweets in your diet;
eliminate bad habits;
avoid stress;
undergo regular examinations.

Digestive problems can be resolved on your own or by consulting a doctor. In most cases, they occur one-time, but frequent occurrence of ailments requires consultation with a specialist.

Source

How to recognize portal (congestive) gastropathy?

When diagnosing congestive gastropathy, an effective test is endoscopy of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, patients are recommended to undergo gastroscopy and colonoscopy of the intestines . The examination is not very pleasant, so in many cases it is performed under general anesthesia or sedation. Preparation for diagnostic procedures is of no small importance. The patient needs to follow dietary recommendations and undergo additional examination - abdominal ultrasound, blood test, and so on.

Features in children

In a situation where a child’s stomach is upset, the quantity and quality of food eaten is not always to blame. Psychological factors may also influence this:

weaning from breastfeeding;
potty training;
a sharp change in the life situation in the family, etc.

It is not difficult to recognize the problem that has arisen - the child does not eat anything and cries all the time.

If your child has signs of indigestion:

you need to lay on your side with your legs bent at the knee joints;
put a warm heating pad on your tummy;
drink a small amount of heated water;
Gently massage the belly around the navel, clockwise.
During an attack you can’t feed her; after an hour you can give her tea.

If the problem occurs again, you need to exclude those foods that cause pain and consult a pediatrician, since the treatment of indigestion in children has its own characteristics and differences from the treatment of an adult. He should not be offered medications intended for adults. A child's body can react to them in unexpected ways.

Treatment of congestive (portal) gastropathy

Portal infiltration is treated carefully. The therapeutic goal of clinicians is to suppress the development of the underlying disease. If the disease is caused by alcohol abuse or cirrhosis of the liver, then the patient is recommended to completely abstain from alcoholic beverages. In cases where Helicobacter pylori is responsible for the disease, antibiotic therapy should be used. If portal gastropathy occurs during long-term therapy with analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs, then drugs are used that suppress the secretion of gastric acid. The patient should be under constant supervision of a gastroenterologist. Regular endoscopic examinations should also be performed to eliminate the risk of bleeding. In severe conditions, surgery is recommended. Take care of yourself and always be healthy!

How to start your stomach

When the functional activity of the digestive organs ceases, it is dangerous to self-medicate, therefore, a gastroenterologist should prescribe treatment, having first conducted a thorough examination and determined the diagnosis. It is better if treatment measures are carried out comprehensively and consist of:

drug treatment;
include traditional medicine recipes;
diet therapy.

Drug treatment

Conservative (medicinal) treatment of atony is carried out:

general strengthening agents;
drugs aimed at stimulating peristalsis;
multivitamins;
antiemetic medications;
preparations containing potassium and calcium;
means that restore nerve cells in order to improve the innervation of the organ.

A list of safe drugs that can be used independently even by pregnant women to restore the motor function of the stomach:

Gastrofarm;
Gaviscon;
Festal;
Pancreatin;
Activated carbon.

However, if the situation repeats, you cannot do without a medical examination. Otherwise, you may miss the onset of a serious pathology that threatens not only your health, but also your life.

Folk remedies

You can cope with minor disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system yourself at home by using traditional medicine in combination with diet therapy.

The recipes that need to be used are time-tested. The only limitation to their use as a remedy is individual intolerance to the ingredients.

At home, as an independent emergency stomach aid, you can use:

Cinnamon, place 1 teaspoon of powder in a glass of water (200 ml), boil for 5 minutes. Take the decoction every time before meals.
Baking soda is a proven remedy that usually helps quickly. You need to pour half a teaspoon into a glass of boiling water. Cool, then drink. Relief should occur within 5 minutes.

Symptoms

The general clinical picture can be supplemented by specific symptoms, the nature of which will depend on the underlying factor. In general, the symptoms of gastric obstruction are as follows:

belching, with a strong unpleasant odor. This will be due to the fact that food accumulates in the stomach and the process of rotting begins;
nausea with vomiting. Vomiting may contain mucus, blood clots with a strong unpleasant odor;
pain in the intestinal area, constant feeling of discomfort;
a feeling of fullness and fullness in the stomach, even with a minimal amount of food or liquid consumed;
a sharp decrease in body weight;
periodic cramps in the abdominal area;
symptoms of general intoxication of the body;
delayed release of gases and feces;
later the anal sphincter relaxes;
bloating, but asymmetrical;
Periodically, sharp tension in the abdominal wall occurs;
gases accumulate in the colon;
feces are discharged with strong straining, and there are blood impurities in the feces.

If at this stage of development of the pathological process the patient is not provided with correct medical care, then the clinical picture will be supplemented by the following:

severe vomiting, which leads to dehydration;
atony;
metabolic disease;
constipation;
general exhaustion of the body.

In addition, we should not forget that the development of the primary pathological process will also develop into a more complex form, and therefore not only complications may arise - in this case, death should not be ruled out.

In newborns, it is impossible to accurately determine the presence of such a syndrome based on the clinical picture alone. One of the most characteristic signs of the development of such a pathological process will be constant regurgitation and frequent vomiting in the baby.

Therapeutic exercises for the stomach

Often the cause of gastric atony is a weakening of the muscle structures in the anterior abdominal wall. To restore their tone, it is necessary to regularly perform gymnastics.

There are several exercises that help with this.

Exercise bike. Performed in a supine position.
Pressing bent legs with hands.
Throwing your legs behind your head. In this case, the lumbar region should be supported with your hands.
Tilts to the side, back and forward.
Raising hands to simulate splitting wood.
Kneeling position with emphasis on hands. The legs are stretched back one at a time.
Physical exercise is beneficial when done consistently. As an additional method, breathing exercises can be performed.

In some situations, doctors advise patients to wear a bandage. It holds the abdominal wall and prevents the muscle structures from relaxing. This device is also necessary for those people who have a sagging stomach. The bandage should only be worn while lying down. Constant wearing helps to quickly improve the condition and eliminate the discomfort associated with stretching of the organ.

Treatment of gastric atony

The reasons for food stagnation in the stomach can be varied. But this determines how drug therapy will be carried out. Treatment of food stagnation in the stomach involves the implementation of complex measures, including:

taking medications;
following a strict diet;
conducting therapeutic training;
psychotherapy;
physiotherapeutic methods.

Before starting treatment, the gastric contents are evacuated using a tube. This helps prevent organ rupture.

Gastric atony is treated by using:

drugs to improve motor functioning;
anabolic steroids based on hydrolyzed protein compounds. They are needed for the asthenic structure of the organ;
medicines to accelerate regenerative processes in the mucous membrane;
preparations with calcium and potassium for minor hypotension;
antiemetics. They are needed for repeated vomiting. Their effect is aimed at blocking receptors in the brain;
immunomodulators, vitamin and mineral complexes.

In more severe cases, insulin may be required. Surgical intervention for food stagnation in the gastric cavity is not carried out, since the disease has the ability to recur.

What to do if your stomach stops working

If there are signs of food stagnation in the stomach after overeating, you should try to forcefully induce vomiting and not eat at all for the first day.
Then eat small portions every two hours, following a strict diet, gradually making the diet more varied, and increasing the amount of food per meal.

The situation is unpleasant, so in order to get your stomach moving and not harm yourself, you need the following sequence of actions:

Diagnostics.
Drug treatment.
Treatment with folk remedies.
Diet therapy.

Diagnostics

The above symptoms can accompany not only the irrational consumption of certain “harmful” foods and a violation of the diet, but also be signs of dangerous diseases - gastritis, peptic ulcers or tumor processes.

Therefore, if your stomach is upset, and you cannot quickly cope with this condition on your own, you should contact a specialist for a thorough examination and prescribe timely therapy.

Basic diagnostic methods:

Conversation, examination, palpation and listening to the patient’s painful area.
Laboratory examination - tests of blood, urine, feces, gastric contents.
Internal examination of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, with a special probe with a built-in miniature video camera.
X-ray with contrast agent.
Instrumental examination without the use of a gastric tube - ultrasound, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (computed tomography), gastropanel, capsule gastroscopy (videopill).

Symptomatic picture

In medicine, there are two stages of pathology - mild and severe. The first degree of damage is also called hypotension. At the initial stage, the patient experiences minor discomfort, which does not affect the general condition of the body. But in the absence of therapeutic measures, health worsens. Symptoms of gastric atony appear:

in heartburn;
in increasing the volume of the gastric cavity;
in rapid saturation;
in nausea and vomiting;
in a bursting feeling;
belching with air or sour contents;
blanching of the skin;
in increased blood pressure;
in an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity;
in increased sweating.

Stagnation of food in the stomach can occur when obstruction occurs. In this case, instant saturation occurs. Against the background of this process, appetite disappears completely. A feeling of nausea occurs, especially at the moment when a person has eaten fatty foods or drank a lot of drinks. Painful sensations are often dull and bursting in nature. When the gastric cavity is greatly stretched, cold sweat appears. The skin turns pale and acquires a grayish tint.

How is the treatment carried out?

Pathology therapy consists of eliminating the cause that caused the stagnation. The treatment regimen includes pharmacological drugs and diet therapy. Medicines will require analgesics, means to improve motor skills, antiemetics, vitamins, and in case of infection, antibiotics. In case of severe dehydration, droppers with electrolyte solutions are indicated, and siphon enemas are indicated to ease stool. A very important element of therapy is the development of a diet. The patient is advised to consume protein foods, fruits and vegetables, as well as frequent split meals with easily digestible dishes and small portions. You can use dietary table No. 2. Among traditional medicines, tincture of blueberries, chamomile flowers, and mint tea will help improve your condition.

In the absence of results of conservative therapy and in advanced form, gastric obstruction can only be treated surgically. During the operation, resection of defective areas, dissection of adhesions and removal of other mechanical barriers are performed. In the first days after the operation, the patient can only drink warm tea or rosehip decoction. After the first stool, you can gradually introduce ground, liquid food, puree. The stitches are removed after 10 days.

To alleviate the patient's condition during long-term stagnation, gastric lavage using intubation is indicated.

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Constant belching of air due to stomach pathologies

The main condition leading to regurgitation of air is the incompetence of the cardiac part of the stomach (cardia insufficiency), which does not completely close. This deviation is diagnosed by X-ray examination of the stomach or by endoscopy (FGDS).

Cardia insufficiency is divided into degrees.

In the first degree, the muscle of the inlet of the stomach does not compress completely, leaving up to a third of the lumen during deep breathing, which provokes belching.
The second causes a gap in the lumen of the cardiac region by half the diameter and also frequent belching of air.
In the third case, not only complete non-closure of the cardia during deep inspiration is required, but also the phenomenon of reflux esophagitis due to the constant reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus.

The failure of the cardiac sphincter explains frequent belching, the causes of which are as follows:

An overfilled stomach in people prone to overeating, as well as in people with slow motor skills and digestive disorders (atrophic gastritis, hypomotor gastrointestinal dyskinesia), including obese people and pregnant women against the background of hormonal changes.
Weak lower esophageal sphincter, hiatal hernia.
Increased intragastric pressure due to inflammation (peptic ulcer) or tumors, as well as pylorospasm or pyloric stenosis.
Surgical interventions on the cardiac part of the stomach with removal or damage to the sphincter.
Injuries and burns of the esophagus and stomach.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease

The most common cause of belching is gastroesophageal reflux disease. In this case, the circular sphincter muscle, which locks the inlet of the stomach, does not completely close, causing the reflux of what is in the stomach or air into the esophagus and pharynx. Belching is provoked by bending forward and prolonged horizontal position.

in addition to belching air and acid (heartburn), with GERD there is pain behind the sternum or in the left half of the chest
nausea, episodes of vomiting
rapid satiety and bloating
Extragastric manifestations are also characteristic: cough, shortness of breath, cardiac arrhythmias in the form of tachycardia or arrhythmia (Houdin syndrome), atrophic or hypertrophic pharyngitis, manifested by dryness of the pharyngeal mucosa, scratching sensations in the throat and difficulty swallowing.

Gradually, the esophageal mucosa erodes or even becomes covered with ulcers. With prolonged untreated esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus or intestinal-type metaplasia of the esophageal mucosa may develop, which increases the risk of cancer of this organ.

The second gastric cause of belching air is gastritis

Gastritis can be infectious, toxic, nutritional, autoimmune, or radiation. In the clinic of acute or chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa, nausea and belching of air may be present. At the same time, it is combined with both sharp or dull aching pain, heaviness in the epigastrium, and vomiting.

In case of damage to the body of the stomach by atrophic processes

A rotten belch may also accompany the belching of air. Characterized by decreased appetite and rapid satiety. Less commonly, a clinical manifestation similar to dumping syndrome occurs (weakness after eating, nausea and belching, sudden urge to defecate, loose stools). Also, belching in combination with weakness, decreased performance, pallor of the skin, brittle nails, dry skin and hair may indicate iron deficiency or B12-deficiency anemia due to impaired absorption of iron or vitamin B12 due to atrophic processes in the gastric mucosa against the background of chronic gastritis .

For antral forms of gastritis

most often occurring against the background of Helicobacter pylori infection, belching of air can alternate with heartburn and fasting or early pain of a sucking nature in the epigastrium.

Stomach ulcer

A stomach ulcer causes severe damage to the gastric mucosa with diffuse hyperemia, swelling and damage down to the muscle layer, and also creates conditions for belching, both air and sour. As with antral gastritis, with peptic ulcer disease the following will be observed:

sharp or dull early (30 minutes after eating)
fasting or even night pain in the projection of the stomach
nausea and vomiting of eaten food or bile, bringing relief
tendency to constipation
loss of appetite

Changes in the pyloric (outlet) part of the stomach

Reversible pyloric stenosis (spasm of the obturator muscle of the gastric outlet) and its irreversible narrowing (pyloric stenosis) lead to such an increase in intragastric pressure and stagnation of its contents that belching develops after eating (air, rotten or sour).

If children have pyloric stenosis - congenital thickening of the muscle
In adults, this is the result of cicatricial changes after frequent ulcers of the gastric outlet and narrowing of the lumen of the pyloric region.
This condition can also be caused by chemical burns of the stomach with acids or alkalis and tumors of the gastric outlet.

As this condition progresses and pyloric stenosis decompensates, belching of air, sour or food is accompanied by vomiting (in the later stages, a fountain immediately after eating), weight loss, signs of water and electrolyte disorders (dry skin and mucous membranes, shortness of breath and heart rhythm disturbances).

Stomach cancer

In the early stages, the clinical picture of stomach cancer is asymptomatic and resembles the clinical picture of chronic atrophic gastritis. Noteworthy is a sharp decrease in appetite, aversion to meat foods, rapid satiety, weight loss, and anemia in patients. In this case, patients complain of a feeling of heaviness or fullness in the epigastrium, frequent belching of air or food. Due to cancer metastasis, supraclavicular lymph nodes may enlarge.

Forecast and preventive measures

With correct and timely therapy, the prognosis for recovery is positive. To extend periods of remission for a chronic disease, you must follow your doctor’s recommendations, follow your diet, undergo annual spa treatment, and drink mineral waters. You can avoid stagnation of food in the stomach if you adhere to the correct diet, control the quality of the foods you eat and do not violate your eating schedule. To strengthen the body's defenses, daily moderate physical activity and walks in the fresh air are useful. To prevent digestive disorders, it is advisable not to abuse alcoholic beverages and quit smoking.