Gas (Flatulence) and Bloating Caused by Another Medical Problem

Gas and bloating can have many causes, including:

• Reference Bowel obstruction Opens New Window. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, gas, and bloating.
• Reference Cirrhosis Opens New Window of the liver. Symptoms may include a poor appetite, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, a bloated (distended) abdomen, and dull abdominal discomfort.
• Reference Colon or rectal cancer Opens New Window. Symptoms may include diarrhea or constipation, narrow stools, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, weight loss, and decreased appetite.
• Reference Crohn's disease Opens New Window. Symptoms may include lower abdominal cramping, diarrhea, weight loss, fever, and bleeding from the rectum.
• Reference Diabetes Opens New Window. People who have long-standing diabetes may develop bowel problems that cause bloating and gas.
• Reference Diverticulitis Opens New Window. Symptoms may include abdominal cramping, diarrhea, bloating, and gas.
• Reference Gallstones Opens New Window. Symptoms may include pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, chest, upper back, or right shoulder following a meal of high-fat foods. Additional symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, belching, gas, heartburn, or pale stools.
• Reference Ovarian cancer Opens New Window. When symptoms are present they may be vague, such as weight gain, increased abdominal girth, gas, and bloating. Ovarian cancer frequently does not cause symptoms.
• Parasitic infections, such as Reference giardiasis Opens New Window, worms, or Reference amebiasis Opens New Window. Symptoms may include diarrhea, dehydration, mucus or blood in the stools, abdominal cramps, fatigue, weight loss, and gas.
• Reference Peptic ulcer disease Opens New Window. Symptoms include a burning, aching, gnawing pain between the belly button and the breastbone that may extend to the back, loss of appetite, weight loss, bloating, gas, nausea, or vomiting.
• Splenic flexure syndrome. In this chronic condition, gas becomes trapped at the bends in the colon. Symptoms include bloating, muscle spasms, and upper abdominal pain.
• Reference Ulcerative colitis Opens New Window. The most common symptoms are abdominal pain or cramping and diarrhea.

Gas also often occurs during the recovery phase of abdominal surgery. Gas-bloat syndrome may occur after surgery to correct Reference gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) Opens New Window.

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