Indigestion (dyspepsia)

What is dyspepsia?

Dyspepsia, or indigestion, is a common condition that often resolves on its own or with self-care treatment. Indigestion happens when the lining of the stomach becomes irritated by the acid produced by the stomach.

You may feel the symptoms of indigestion in your chest or tummy. Conditions like pregnancy and stress can contribute to indigestion, as well as taking some medications such as ibuprofen or antibiotics.

At the London Liver Group, we are experts in the diagnosing these symptoms and offer specialist treatment for liver, pancreatic and biliary conditions.

We use the latest equipment and technology in our consultations and procedures to provide you with expert-led care.

Causes

Indigestion can be caused by different conditions, such as:

•    Pregnancy
•    Being overweight
•    Hiatus hernia
•    Acid reflux
•    Gastroparesis
•    Peptic ulcer disease
•    Lactose intolerance
•    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
•    Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection

In rare cases, indigestion can be caused by stomach cancer.

Indigestion can be made worse by things that irritate your stomach lining, including:

• Smoking
• Fatty or spicy foods
• Coffee, alcohol, fizzy drinks
• Stress and anxiety

You are more likely to have indigestion if you have immediate family members that suffer from chronic indigestion, too.

Symptoms

The symptoms of indigestion include:

•    Feeling bloated
•    Feeling full quickly while eating a meal
•    Feeling sick (nausea)
•    A bitter taste in your mouth
•    Burping

Heartburn is a separate condition you can get when you have indigestion. Heartburn happens when you have a burning sensation in your chest caused by acid reflux. 

Some symptoms are warning signs of a more serious condition, such as:

•    Blood in your vomit
•    Blood in your stools or black, tarry stools
•    Unexplained weight loss
•    Shortness of breath
•    Difficulty swallowing
•    Skin and eyes that appear yellow

You should speak to a doctor right away if you get any of these symptoms while having indigestion.

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask you about your medical history and symptoms to diagnose the cause of your condition as well as physically examine you. Our team at the London Liver Group can run a full set of diagnostic tests and scans to find the underlying cause of your nausea.

To diagnose certain conditions, your doctor may perform an endoscopy to have a look at your digestive tract. We offer a capsule endoscopy service, an improved method of endoscopy where you swallow a small pill that contains a camera to view your digestive tract.

This is different to the traditional method of passing a thin tube through your mouth or back passage. Other diagnostic methods include an ultrasound scan, blood tests, H. pylori testing, and a stool test.

Your doctor can then make a diagnosis depending on the results of these tests and your medical history.

At the London Liver Group, any tests and scans are carried out in The London Clinic conveniently based on Harley Street with many of the latest technologies and state-of-the-art facilities.

Treatments

Over the counter medication from a pharmacy can treat the symptoms of indigestion. Depending on the cause of indigestion, your doctor may prescribe stronger treatment to treat your symptoms.

However, it is important to understand the underlying cause so you can get further treatment if needed. If you have an H. pylori infection, you will be prescribed a week’s course of two antibiotics and a PPI.

You can make dietary changes to help ease symptoms, including reducing the food and drink that can cause indigestion. Your doctor will discuss ways to reduce and manage stress if this is the cause of indigestion. This includes recommending psychological therapy.

Our expert team at the London Liver Group will take you through your diagnosis and discuss the treatments available.