All people periodically experience such a phenomenon as belching. It is the exit of air through the esophagus. This phenomenon can be associated both with the peculiarity of the food eaten, and with medical problems. Why is there belching, bitterness in the mouth and nausea? How to treat diseases that cause unpleasant burping?
Causes of occurrence
Why does bitterness burp? An unpleasant bitter taste is most often associated with the release of bile, this is often the case with problems such as:
- Diseases of the gallbladder and bile ducts: cholecystitis, cholelithiasis. With such diseases, belching occurs with impurities of bile, most often it appears at night.
- Wrong diet. If a person's daily diet is dominated by fatty, fried and over-spiced foods, then the stomach may be trying to cope with this copious secretion of bile.
- Liver disease:hepatitis, cirrhosis, cholestasis. Unfortunately, liver diseases are often asymptomatic, so belching bitterness may be the only reason to seek medical attention.
- Various tumors, hernias.
Pregnancy can also cause burping. This may be due to toxicosis in the first trimester of pregnancy or increased gas formation in the intestines throughout pregnancy.
Burping after eating
Most often, involuntary release of air through the esophagus is observed after eating. This may be due to the rapid absorption of food, which provokes the swallowing of air, a violation of eating habits, or nervousness while eating. If at the same time a bitter taste is felt, then most likely the problem lies in the bile ducts. The normal outflow of bile is disrupted, as a result of which it enters the stomach and esophagus, causing a burning sensation and an unpleasant bitter taste in the mouth. Unfortunately, such a symptom is always a sign of a pathology, so it is very important to see a doctor in a timely manner.
Symptoms
Depending on the cause of belching bitterness may be accompanied by the following symptoms:
- pain or discomfort in the right hypochondrium;
- heartburn;
- nausea;
- weakness in the body;
- vomiting bile;
- bloating;
- increased body temperature;
- drowsy;
- hair loss as one of the complications of liver cirrhosis.
In addition, there is a constant unpleasantTaste and bad breath despite good oral care.
Which doctor should I contact?
Treatment of belching bitterness should be under the supervision of qualified physicians. But which doctor should you see first?
Diagnosis and therapy begins in the office of a general practitioner who will conduct a survey, prescribe basic tests, on the basis of which he will make assumptions about the diagnosis. He will also refer the patient to specialized doctors.
A gastroenterologist deals with problems with the gastrointestinal tract, so his consultation will also not be superfluous. This specialist will prescribe specific tests, on the basis of which you can accurately diagnose, and also prescribe the correct treatment.
A dietitian is needed if belching is due to poor diet. A competent nutritionist will adjust the patient's daily diet in accordance with the diagnosis made by the gastroenterologist. He can also prescribe treatment with mineral waters. For example, with increased acidity of gastric juice, it is recommended to drink water with a high alkali content: Narzan, Borjomi, Essentuki. Water must be consumed daily in a warm form and always without gas.
Diagnosis
It is very important to pay great attention to clinical research, which will give a complete picture of the disease. For this, diagnostic methods such as:
- General examination of the patient, clarification of complaints.
- Laboratory studies, which include general and biochemical blood tests, urine and stool tests, coprogram.
- Colonoscopy, which is the introduction of a tube with a camera into the cavity of the esophagus and stomach. Thanks to this procedure, it is possible to visually assess the condition of internal organs.
- Biopsy of the soft tissues of the stomach.
- Measuring the acidity of an internal organ.
- Ultrasound diagnostics, which helps to determine the presence of tumors, cysts in the stomach, pancreas or gallbladder.
Also, an experienced doctor will offer the patient to do tests to determine the presence of Helicobacter pylori, which can cause belching and bitterness in the mouth.
Treatment
Therapy depends entirely on what caused the belching of bitterness. So, for example, during pregnancy, belching is a variant of the norm, most often the problem disappears after childbirth on its own, but you can slightly reduce its frequency by doing the following:
- you need to take food calmly, slowly, devoting a lot of time to chewing, it is also important not to talk while eating, as this provokes the swallowing of air, which later comes out in the form of belching;
- important to stop exercising immediately after eating;
- eliminate foods that cause gas.
For the treatment of diseases that provoke belching with air and bitterness, the following drugs are needed:
- Prokinetics, they affect the motility of organsdigestion and thereby stimulate the tone of the sphincters. These are drugs such as Motilium, Cisapride.
- Drugs to reduce stomach acidity: Almagel, Maalox.
- H2 receptor blockers, which include Omez and Ranitidine.
- Enzymes to improve digestion: Mezim, Gastal, Creon.
- Antibiotics that are necessary when the causative agent of the disease is detected - Helicobacter pylori bacteria: Amoxiclav, Metronidazole.
These drugs are more aimed at making a person's life as comfortable as possible, but specific therapy is needed to cure the disease that caused bitterness to burp. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract require dietary adjustments and maintenance therapy. Liver diseases are difficult to treat, it requires constant intake of hepatoprotectors that support the functions of the diseased organ.
Diet
The first piece of advice that any gastroenterologist will give when complaining of bitterness in the mouth, belching and bloating is to follow the basics of dietary nutrition. For problems with the digestive tract, liver or gallbladder, it is important to follow these basic rules:
- meals should be taken 4-5 times a day in small portions;
- required to limit or eliminate sour, s alty, sweet and spicy foods;
- Fatty oils are forbiddenanimal origin, as well as greasy and fried foods;
- requires a complete rejection of the use of coffee, strong tea, chocolate, alcoholic and carbonated drinks;
- required to be included in the daily menu of cereals on the water, low-fat fish, fresh vegetables, fruits, light broths.
Stay away from frying in favor of stewing, boiling, baking and steaming food.
Surgery
In some cases, it is impossible to do with only methods of conservative medicine. Carrying out abdominal operations is indicated when hernias, tumors, cysts and other formations are detected. Also, in some cases, a complete or partial resection of the affected organ may be necessary, rarely a liver transplant is required.
Laparoscopy is an operation that is performed by inserting surgical instruments into the abdominal cavity without performing classic incisions. Such an operation is minimally invasive, healing is much faster than during abdominal operations. Pyloric sphincter insufficiency and other minor problems can be corrected with a laparoscope.
Folk remedies
To alleviate the patient's condition and eliminate unpleasant symptoms in the form of bitterness in the mouth and belching with air, alternative medicine methods are allowed:
- If the escape of air through the esophagus was provoked by gastritis with increased gastric secretion, then it is recommended to drink teas from mint, lemon balm and raspberry branches daily.
- Flax and fennel seeds help to normalize the acidity of the stomach, which must be consumed every morning in a tablespoon on an empty stomach.
- You can eliminate increased gas formation with the help of this remedy: 120 ml of cranberry juice, 120 ml of aloe juice, 15 ml of honey, 250 ml of warm water. All ingredients must be thoroughly mixed. Drink drink 50 ml daily for six months.
- It is useful to drink a drink of lime blossom, fennel and mint. The course of treatment is 3 months, after which it is necessary to take a break for a month and resume treatment.
- With frequent burping with an unpleasant aftertaste, it is recommended to consume 300 ml of natural goat milk daily.
In case of severe heartburn, which often accompanies burping, take calamus root powder on the tip of a knife, then drink plenty of water.
Despite the fact that traditional medicine recipes are based on natural ingredients, you should consult your doctor before starting therapy.
Dangerous Consequences
Burping itself is not a disease, but it can be a dangerous symptom that should not be ignored. Lack of proper attention to your he alth can result in problems such as:
- gastroesophageal reflux disease of the esophagus, which is characterized by chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane caused by the frequent release of bile and gastric juice;
- Barrett's esophagus syndrome - a precancerous condition of the esophagus;
- reflux gastritis, which develops due to the constant release of bile.
These diseases are difficult to treat, in addition, they are very dangerous to life and he alth.
Prevention measures
There can be a large number of reasons for belching and bitterness in the mouth, so there are no universal recipes for prevention. However, there are generally accepted measures to prevent burping:
- avoiding carbonated drinks, as well as foods that cause increased gas formation, such as legumes, fresh bread, coffee, alcoholic beverages;
- timely treatment and prevention of diseases of the gallbladder, liver and gastrointestinal tract;
- quitting smoking.
An active lifestyle, moderate exercise and good nutrition are also encouraged.
