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Symptom: Dyspepsia
- Introduction: Dyspepsia
- Causes (56 conditions)
- Causes of Types
- Diagnosis Checklist (37 listings)
- Misdiagnosis
- Diagnostic Guides (Online)
- Diagnostic tests (25 listings)
- Multiple Symptom Checker
- Drug causes (25 listings)
- Videos
- Choose Doctor
- Classifications
- News (4 listings)
- Stories from Users
Introduction: Dyspepsia
The symptom "dyspepsia" or "indigestion" is not usually accurate enough for a full diagnosis. People use the word indigestion to mean various abdominal symptoms such as gas, wind, diarrhea, heartburn, reflux, nausea, abdominal pain, abdominal discomfort, abdominal swelling, or other digestive symptoms. The causes of indigestion and these various digestive symptoms needs to be explored for more precise information.
» Review Causes of Dyspepsia: full list
Causes of Dyspepsia:
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Dyspepsia.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
- Various other possible symptoms described as "indigestion":
- Pregnancy
- Peptic ulcer
- Non-ulcer dyspepsia
- Esophagitis
- Hiatal hernia
- Gallstones
- Stomach cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Achalasia
- Chronic pancreatitis
- See also causes of gas, wind, diarrhea, heartburn, reflux, abdominal pain, abdominal discomfort, abdominal swelling, or other digestive symptoms
- Cirrhosis
- Duodenal ulcer
- Acute gastric dilation
- Gastric ulcer
- Chronic gastritis
- Heart failure
- Hepatitis
- Pulmonary embolus
- Pulmonary tuberculosis
- Uremia
See full list of 56 causes of Dyspepsia
» Review Causes of Dyspepsia: full list
Causes of Types of Dyspepsia:
Review the causes of these more specific types of Dyspepsia:
- Indigestion (90 causes)
- Non-ulcer dyspepsia
Dyspepsia: Multiple Symptom Checker
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Dyspepsia, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms
Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations
- Dyspepsia and Digestive symptoms (41 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Pain (41 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Abdominal symptoms (40 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Indigestion (40 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Nerve symptoms (40 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Sensations (38 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Abdominal pain (36 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Swelling symptoms (29 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Vomiting (29 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Nausea (27 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Bowel problems (23 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Stool symptoms (23 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Eating symptoms (23 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Abdominal swelling (22 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Respiratory symptoms (22 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Fatigue (22 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Food symptoms (22 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Bleeding symptoms (20 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Weight loss (20 causes)
- Dyspepsia and Chest pain (20 causes)
See full list of 680 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Dyspepsia
Causes of General Symptom Types
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
- Indigestion (90 causes)
- Digestive symptoms (2184 causes)
- Abdominal symptoms (1394 causes)
Causes of Similar Symptoms to Dyspepsia
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Dyspepsia:
- Acid reflux
- Indigestion (90 causes)
- Stomach ulcer
Diagnostic Guides for Dyspepsia
Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Dyspepsia from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Dyspepsia. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Dyspepsia
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Misdiagnosis and Dyspepsia
Chronic digestive conditions often misdiagnosed: When diagnosing chronic symptoms of the digestive tract, there are a variety of conditions that may be misdiagnosed. The best...read more »
Intestinal bacteria disorder may be hidden cause: One of the lesser known causes of diarrhea is an imbalance of bacterial in the gut, sometimes called intestinal imbalance. The digestive system contains a variety of "good" bacteria that...read more »
Antibiotics often causes diarrhea: The use of antibiotics are very likely to cause some level of diarrhea in patients. The reason is that antibiotics kill off not only "bad" bacteria, but can also kill the "good" bacteria in the gut. This leads...read more »
Food poisoning may actually be an infectious disease: Many people who come down with "stomach symptoms" like diarrhea assume that it's "something I ate" (i.e. food...read more »
Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed (it can, of course, also fail to be diagnosed with fatal effect). One of the most...read more »
Celiac disease often fails to be diagnosed cause of chronic digestive symptoms: One of the most common chronic digestive conditions is celiac disease, a malabsorption disorder with a variety of symptoms (see symptoms of celiac disease). A variety...read more »
Chronic digestive diseases hard to diagnose: There is an inherent difficulty in diagnosing the various types of chronic digestive diseases....read more »
Common case of dyspepsia: Dyspepsia is a difficult and vague symptom evaluate and requires careful questioning. The discomfort may sometimes amount to pain and some of the...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Dyspepsia
Diagnostic tests for Dyspepsia:
Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Dyspepsia. Some of these are listed below :
- Physical examination
- Look for evidence of anemia - e.g. pale skin and conjunctiva - may suggest chronic oesophagitis, chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer or stomach cancer.
- Look for evidence of jaundice - e.g. yellows skin and sclera of eyes - may suggest gallstones that pass into common bile duct or cancer of the pancreas.
- Abdominal examination for tenderness - e.g. tenderness in epigastric area (midline below ribs) may suggest peptic ulceration; tenderness over the right upper abdomen may suggest gall bladder disease.
- Abdominal examination for mass - e.g. epigastric mass may suggest stomach cancer.
See full list of 25
diagnostic tests for Dyspepsia
Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Dyspepsia. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- How long have you had dyspepsia? - to determine if acute or chronic. Chronic dyspepsia is defined as occurring for more than 3 months.
- What exactly do you mean by dyspepsia and how would you describe the discomfort? Dyspepsia or indigestion is a difficult, sometimes vague, symptom to define or evaluate. Dyspepsia is a discomfort related to eating which may include one or more of the following symptoms during or after the ingestion of food :- nausea, heartburn, regurgitation, upper abdominal discomfort, lower chest discomfort, acidity, sensation of fullness or unease in the upper abdomen, abdominal distention or excess wind e.g. A burning pain may suggest gastro-esophageal reflux; constricting pain may suggest angina, heart attack or esophageal spasm; deep gnawing pain may suggest peptic ulcer
- Can you point to exactly where the discomfort is and where it radiates to? - can help with diagnosis e.g. discomfort between the shoulder blades may suggest esophageal spasm, gall bladder disease or a duodenal ulcer; discomfort behind the sternum (breastbone) may suggest esophageal disorders or angina; discomfort in epigastrium (midline just below ribs) may suggest disorders of the biliary system, stomach or duodenum.
- Is there anything that makes the discomfort worse? - e.g. eating food may aggravate a gastric ulcer; eating fried or fatty foods will aggravate biliary disease, esophageal disorders and functional dyspepsia ( dyspepsia when no specific cause can be demonstrated); bending over will aggravate gastro-esophageal reflux; alcohol will aggravate gastro-esophageal reflux, oesophagitis, gastritis, peptic ulcer and pancreatitis.
- Is there anything you have found that makes the discomfort better? - e.g. eating food may relive a duodenal ulcer.
See Diagnosis Checklist for Dyspepsia (37 listings)
Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Dyspepsia) may include:
- Acid regurgitation? - may suggest gastro-esophageal reflux, or oesophagitis.
- Waterbrash (excess secretion of saliva into the mouth)? - may suggest gastro-esophageal reflux, hiatus hernia or peptic ulcer.
- Pain on swallowing? - may suggest oesophagitis (especially if with hot and cold fluids) or stomach cancer.
- Cough or wheeze at night? -may suggest gastro-esophageal reflux
- Symptoms of angina or heart attack? - e.g. a common mistake is to attribute the discomfort of angina or a heart attack to a disorder of the gastro-intestinal tract. Must consider heartburn symptoms to be ischemic heart disease until proved otherwise.
See Diagnosis Checklist for Dyspepsia (37 listings)
Stories from Users for Dyspepsia
Real-life user stories relating to Dyspepsia:
Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Dyspepsia or relevant symptoms:
- Respiratory (Lungs and Breathing) (136)
- Gastrointestinal (Food - from entry to exit) (452)
- Allergic/Immunologic (88)
Videos for Dyspepsia
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Your Rights as a Patient
Whenever you go to a hospital or clinic for a major procedure or diagnostic test, one of the many forms you are given to sign is an "informed...
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Germs are a fact of life and catching an infectious disease like a cold may seem inevitable. But there are simple ways to protect yourself against...
Your Health and Your Insurance
Health insurance is important to everyone, especially people with chronic conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Tune in to...
Patient Surveys for Dyspepsia
- Patient Profile Survey
Take Survey View Results - Survey about diseases related to your Dyspepsia
Take Survey View Results
Medications or substances causing Dyspepsia:
The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible
causes of Dyspepsia as a symptom.
Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using,
including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.
- Choline Magnesium Salicylate
- Trilisate
- Choline Salicylate
- Arthropan
- Teejel
See full list of 25
medications causing Dyspepsia
Article Excerpts about Dyspepsia
Indigestion, also known as upset stomach or dyspepsia, is a painful or burning feeling in the upper abdomen, often accompanied by nausea, abdominal bloating, belching, and sometimes vomiting. (Source: excerpt from Indigestion: NIDDK)
Definitions of Dyspepsia:
A disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Organs affected by Dyspepsia:
The list of organs typically affected by Dyspepsia may include, but is not limited to:
Detailed list of causes of Dyspepsia
The list below shows some of the causes of Dyspepsia mentioned in various sources:
- Abdominal discomfort
- Abdominal swelling
- Achalasia
- Achlorhydria - indigestion
- Acute gastric dilation
See full list of 56 causes of Dyspepsia
How Common are these Causes of Dyspepsia?
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Dyspepsia. Of the 56 causes of Dyspepsia that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
- 4 causes are "very common" diseases
- 7 causes are "common" diseases
- 2 causes are "uncommon" diseases
- 0 causes are "rare" diseases
- 3 causes are "very rare" diseases
- 50 causes have no prevalence information.
See the analysis of the prevalence of 56
causes of Dyspepsia
Conditions listing symptoms: Dyspepsia:
The following list of conditions have 'Dyspepsia' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
A
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F
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Join in at the forums
Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.
Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.
Causes of Dyspepsia Based on Risk Factors
This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Dyspepsia based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Dyspepsia?
Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Dyspepsia, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :
- General practitioner
- Emergency physician
- Gastroenterologist
Classifications of Dyspepsia:
Subtypes of Dyspepsia:
Indigestion (27 causes), Non-ulcer dyspepsia
Medical Conditions associated with Dyspepsia:
Indigestion (27 causes), Digestive symptoms (2166 causes), Abdominal symptoms (1353 causes)
Symptoms related to Dyspepsia:
Acid reflux, Indigestion (27 causes), Stomach ulcer
Dyspepsia as a disease:
For a more detailed analysis of Dyspepsia as a disease, please see our Disease Center information for Dyspepsia.
- Causes of Indigestion (10 conditions)
- Medication Causes of Indigestion (198 causes)
Medical articles on signs and symptoms:
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
- What to tell your doctor about your symptoms
- What questions will the doctor ask about your symptoms (and why)?
- What does your doctor do in a physical examination?
- What questions should you ask the doctor about a symptom or diagnosis?
- What questions to ask the doctor about the treatment
- Steps to take to get the most out of a doctor visit
- More articles on symptoms and diagnosis
These general medical articles may be of interest:
- Medical Symptom Books
- Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
- Online Diagnosis
- Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
- Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
Medical News summaries about Dyspepsia
Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Dyspepsia and many other medical conditions:
- Food allergies often confused with food intolerance
- Misdiagnosed ovarian cancer leads to poorer prognosis
- Smoking also linked to stomach cancer
- Women’s heart attacks poorly diagnosed compared to men
Related medical articles from our Disease Center for Indigestion:
- Introduction: Indigestion
- Basic Summary for Indigestion
- Causes of Indigestion
- Videos for Dyspepsia
- Drug Causes of Indigestion
- Symptoms of Indigestion
- Diagnostic Tests for Indigestion
- Misdiagnosis of Indigestion
- Treatments for Indigestion
More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:
- Symptom Center - over 2,500 symptoms listed
- Symptom List
- Symptom Descriptions
- All Symptoms
- Diseases Center - find symptom lists for over 8,000 diseases.
- Books on Medical Symptoms
- Books on Medical Diagnosis
» Next page: Causes of Dyspepsia
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
- Causes of Dyspepsia
- Diagnostic Guides Online for Dyspepsia
- Misdiagnosis of Dyspepsia
- Dyspepsia (Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition))
- Dyspepsia (Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))
Tools & Services:
- Bookmark this page
- Take a survey relating to Dyspepsia
- Symptom Search
- Symptom Checker
- Medical Dictionary
- Give your feedback
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