With age, the amount of acid present in the abdomen responsible for digesting food decreases. It is noticed that in the elderly the pepsin output is reduced by approximately 40 per cent. A decrease in pepsin makes it difficult for your body to break down protein, which makes people bloated and gassy.
A distended abdomen is abnormally swollen outward. You can see and measure the difference, and sometimes you can feel it. A distended abdomen can be due to bloating from gas, or it can be due to accumulated fluid, tissue, or digestive contents. It can be chronic or acute.
What can cause a hard stomach? A hard stomach can happen for various reasons, including constipation, gastric cancer, and some chronic digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Some non-GI disease, such as congestive heart failure and cirrhosis of the liver, can also cause bloating by causing fluid accumulation in the abdomen.
It usually goes away after a while, but for some people, it's a recurring problem. Digestive issues and hormone fluctuations can cause cyclical bloating. If your bloated stomach doesn't go away, you should seek medical care to determine the cause.
But did you know that they are actually different? Bloating refers to the sensation of abdominal (tummy) swelling, sometimes described as the feeling of an inflated balloon in the belly. By contrast, abdominal distention refers to an actual increase in measured abdominal size.
Kwashiorkor is a type of malnutrition characterized by severe protein deficiency. It causes fluid retention and a swollen, distended abdomen.
Abdominal Swelling
A swollen abdomen can point to a condition called ascites, in which liver malfunction leads to an imbalance of proteins and other compounds, and fluid builds up in the tissues. The main symptom, potbelly, often signals cirrhosis.
I still remember the medical school mnemonic-food, fat, flab, fluid, flatus, feces, fetus, factitious, fatal, and fruitcake. The ten “Fs” were the causes of abdominal distention.
Progressive gastric distension is a rare condition, which may lead to gastric wall ischaemia and perforation. It is often diagnosed late in the course of the illness after complications are already present.
When the right side loses pumping power, blood backs up in the body's veins. This usually causes swelling or congestion in the legs and ankles as well as swelling within the abdomen, such as the GI tract and liver (causing ascites).
If your bloating is accompanied by abdominal pain, cramps, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, then it might be a serious problem. Regularly occurring bloating that doesn't improve with lifestyle changes, such as eating smaller meals or avoiding certain foods, may also point to a more serious issue.
Symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, swelling in the legs and feet, and abdominal pain or nausea. Diagnosis includes tests for the existence of heart failure, followed by tests to evaluate the cause of the heart failure. Treatment for heart failure begins with lifestyle changes and medications.
Unfortunately, if your heart isn't able to send enough blood to your stomach, it can cause severe issues – from sharp abdominal pain to diarrhea, nausea or vomiting after a meal.
In most cases, a tight stomach doesn't require a visit to the doctor. However, you should seek immediate medical attention if the tightness is accompanied with severe nausea, weight loss or difficulty breathing.
If your stomach sticks out even if you are skinny, you may need to change certain habits to try to get rid of it. In order to do so, first you need to figure out what causes your protruded belly. It may be the regular consumption of alcohol, stress, hormones, bad posture, recent pregnancy, bloating, or others.