Indigestion

Category: Digestive & Abdomen · All digestive symptoms

What it can feel like

Indigestion (dyspepsia) is a cluster of upper-abdominal symptoms — fullness during or after meals, bloating, belching, mild nausea and a dull ache under the ribs. It is very common, often has no serious cause, and is closely related to heartburn and reflux.

Possible causes

A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Common causes

Indigestion can be associated with large, fatty or hurried meals, alcohol, caffeine, stress, and anti-inflammatory painkillers and other medicines that irritate the stomach.

Other possible causes

Persistent indigestion can be associated with stomach ulcers, inflammation of the stomach lining, gallstones, and infection of the stomach with the bacterium H. pylori. New, persistent indigestion later in life is checked for stomach cancer.

Red flags — when to seek help promptly

Indigestion with difficulty swallowing or food sticking
Indigestion with unexplained weight loss, vomiting blood or black stools
Indigestion with persistent vomiting or loss of appetite
New indigestion most days in someone over 55 that does not settle

What a clinician may do

A clinician will review medicines, diet and alcohol, and examine your abdomen. Tests may include a stool or breath test for H. pylori, blood tests, and a gastroscopy when symptoms persist, recur or come with alarm features.

Related guides on MedicalVideos.com

Frequently asked questions

What is H. pylori and why test for it?

Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that lives in the stomach lining in many people; in some it causes inflammation and ulcers. It can be detected with a stool or breath test and cleared with a combination treatment, which often settles persistent indigestion.

Can stress really cause indigestion?

Yes — the gut is highly sensitive to stress through the gut–brain connection, and stress changes both acid production and gut movement. Stress-related indigestion is a real pattern, diagnosed after physical causes have been reasonably excluded.

Related symptoms — Digestive & Abdomen

Abdominal pain Black stools Bloating Blood in the stool Change in bowel habit Constipation

Browse the I section of the A–Z list or return to the Symptoms A–Z hub.

Please note: This page is educational information about a symptom. A symptom alone cannot diagnose any condition, and the causes listed here are possibilities, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about a symptom — especially one that is new, severe, getting worse or not going away — please see your own clinician, who can examine you and arrange tests. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.