How To Tell If Your Stomach Troubles Are A Sign Of Something Serious

Yahoo Health
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Are your tummy woes due to that greasy slice of pizza, or something more ominous? To know, there’s one big thing you should look out for. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trials and tribulations of the gut are never comfortable — both to go through and to talk about.

Bloating, gas, abdominal pain, and diarrhea could signal chronic conditions like celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome — but they could also just be the result of a greasy slice of pizza that isn’t agreeing with your stomach. So how are you supposed to differentiate between benign “tummy troubles” and more serious gastrointestinal conditions?

“The key point is that if it persists for a long time, it’s definitely a chronic condition and you should see a professional,” Gina Sam, MD, director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital, tells Yahoo Health. If symptoms continue three to four days a week for up to six months, then you should consider seeking medical attention.

Trying to differentiate between chronic gastrointestinal conditions is hard as well, Sam says. Therefore, testing is extremely important as it will help rule out or pinpoint which gastrointestinal disorder you may be experiencing.

“Many patients may believe they have irritable bowel syndrome when they in fact have gut bacterial overgrowth,” Sam tells Yahoo Health.

Related: The 10 Healthiest Foods For Your Gut

Any symptoms that last less than a few days and don’t recur in the months following are most likely just commonplace stomach irritation. The best way to clear up this kind of tummy distress is to exercise three to four days per week, watch your diet, stop smoking, and reduce alcohol intake, Sam recommends. And watch out for these signs and symptoms that may point to a more serious gastrointestinal condition (especially if they last for an extended period of time):

  • Weight loss

  • Blood in stool

  • Change in appetite

  • Anemia

  • Diarrhea

Here are four gastrointestinal conditions and what they entail:

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an extremely common condition — most often found in people younger than 45 — and affects about twice as many women as men. Imagine painful and continuous movements (think of them as a rolling storm) in the large intestines, accompanied by abdominal cramping. The only immediate relief? A bowel movement. Though there is no end-all cure for IBS, the condition can be managed through diet, probiotics, stress management, and medicine. Testing for IBS can include blood tests, X-rays, colonoscopy, or stool sampling.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease affects about one in 141 people in the United States. The condition occurs when the small intestines are unable to break down gluten — a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley — which can cause damage to the villi, or inner lining of the small intestine. Symptoms include painful cramps, inflammation, weight loss, irritability, and bloody stools. Doctors can test for celiac disease through a blood test or by examining a piece of tissue from the small intestine. The best way to treat celiac disease is to eliminate gluten from the diet.

Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is cancer starting in the small intestine or rectum. The disease has been linked to diets high in fat, low in fiber, and with excessive intake of red meat. Aside from abdominal pain and tenderness, colon cancer symptoms can include narrow or bloody stools, diarrhea or constipation, weight loss, and fatigue — but often, signs won’t surface until the later stages of the disease. Testing may include a colonoscopy or CT colonoscopy (pictures of the colon). Colon cancer treatments vary per case and physician, but can consist of these three major procedures: radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery.

Related: Outsmart Colorectal Cancer With This Life-Saving Advice From Katie Couric

Gut Bacterial Overgrowth

Bacterial overgrowth can occur in the small bowel (referred to as small intestine bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO) usually stemming from when someone is taking antibiotics for another reason, Sam says. This can cause major malabsorption of food, she says. Physicians can now administer a blood test or breath test to measure bacteria in the small bowel and choose treatment accordingly.

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