Causes of belching

The causes of belching, that is, the involuntary release of gas from the esophagus or stomach through the mouth, are very different. And this release is not always a symptom of a disease.

In gastroenterology, all types of belching have been studied and clear cause-and-effect relationships have been established between this symptom and certain pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as with other diseases or anatomical anomalies.

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Causes of belching air

Causes of belching air - swallowing air. During meals (and not only) a person swallows air (within 2 cm³ per swallow). But if the volume of swallowed air exceeds the norm, then this process in medicine is called gastric pneumatosis or aerophagia. And the greater the amount of swallowed air, the more often its regurgitation occurs, that is, movement in the opposite direction. Therefore, the factors for the development of frequent belching in people, as well as constant aerophagia with air, in most cases are associated with aerophagia, which is divided into physiological and pathological.

As experts note, physiological pneumatosis of the stomach is promoted by: drinking carbonated water and other carbonated drinks, eating quickly and talking while eating, not chewing food enough, and even frequent use of chewing gum.

Physiological belching of air often occurs after overeating, or when a person begins heavy physical work immediately after eating.

But there is also purely pathological aerophagia, absolutely not related to food intake. And then the immediate causes of belching air are hidden in:

• mouth breathing with difficulty inhaling air through the nose;
• hypersalivation (excessive secretion of saliva and its frequent swallowing);
• neurotic state, hysterical psychosis (nervous aerophagia);
• disruption of gastric peristalsis (paresis) and decreased tone;
• esophageal hernia;
• achalasia of the esophagus (cardiospasm), in which peristalsis of the esophagus is absent, and the lower esophageal sphincter does not relax during swallowing;
• cardiovascular failure;
• aneurysm (bulging of the wall) of the lower part of the aorta.

Causes of constant belching include frequent overeating, an abundance of fatty and spicy foods in the diet, as well as pathologies such as congenital narrowing of the lumen of the esophagus, a kink in the stomach, and dysfunction of the valve separating the esophagus and stomach (sphincter).

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Causes of belching after eating

The causes of belching after eating are often associated with malfunctions of such important organs as the pancreas and duodenum. Inflammatory processes in these organs - pancreatitis and duodenitis - lead to the fact that the process of digestion of food is disrupted, and belching after eating tops the list of initial signs of these pathologies.

In some cases, regurgitation of food is caused by an imbalance of intestinal microflora, which results in a disruption of the absorption of nutrients. In many cases of aerophagia, food is caused by the backflow of stomach contents into the esophagus (through the lower esophageal sphincter). This is the so-called gastroesophageal (gastroesophageal) reflux.

The reflux of stomach contents back into the section of the digestive tract that connects the pharynx to the stomach is not considered a pathology if it occurs exclusively after eating, does not happen often and does not cause heartburn. However, refluxes that occur frequently and last for a long time, especially at night, give a serious reason to see a doctor, since such a symptom may indicate a malignant neoplasm in the gastrointestinal tract.

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Causes of rotten burps

The causes of rotten belching are inflammation of the gastric mucosa (gastritis) with low acidity of gastric juice, or narrowing of the initial section of the duodenum, or stenosis of the pyloric section of the stomach. With these diseases, normal digestion of food is also difficult, and food partially decomposes with the release of hydrogen sulfide, which, as is known, has the smell of rotten eggs.

In some cases, they are hidden in the presence of a stomach ulcer or a duodenal ulcer in a person. Then, in addition to aerophagia, heartburn and bloating in the abdominal cavity are noted.

Also, the etiological factor of rotten belching can be gluten enteropathy or celiac disease - a chronic autoimmune disease, which is expressed in the inability of the body to digest the gluten of cereal crops.

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Causes of sour burping

The reasons for sour belching are explained simply: a patient with such complaints has inflammation of the gastric mucosa, i.e. gastritis, but already against the background of too high a content of hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice. Hyperacid gastritis is the cause of heartburn, aerophagia and nausea.

The reasons for foamy belching are the same gastritis (acute, chronic or erosive). In this case, aerophagia can have a sour or bitter taste.

The causes of belching in the morning, the so-called hungry aerophagia of saliva, are rooted in the presence of gastritis that has settled in your stomach. It should be noted that among the most indicative clinical signs of the development of this disease are heartburn after eating and bouts of nausea, as well as clearly localized pain.

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Causes of belching bitterness

The main reason for belching bitterness is the entry of bile, which has a bitter taste, into the stomach cavity. When the digestive system is functioning normally, there should be no bile in the stomach: it is produced by liver cells, accumulates in the gallbladder, and then enters the duodenum and further into the intestines. But if the duodenum is compressed, or the pylorus of the stomach (the sphincter separating it from the duodenum) is weakened, then bile is thrown back (reflux) along with the contents of the duodenum into the stomach and esophagus. Gastroenterologists call this pathology duodenogastric and duodenogastroesophageal reflux. And this is an alarming symptom, since the examination can reveal not only inflammation of the duodenum (duodenitis), but also the presence of a tumor.

In addition, the etiological factors of belching bile (bitterness) may be directly related to the gallbladder and liver. Gallstones may form in the gallbladder (cholelithiasis), and the presence of biliary dyskinesia is also possible. And gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) is the cause of constant belching bile.

Excessive stress on the liver in the form of fatty foods and alcohol leads to excessive secretion of hepatic bile, the taste of which is felt during aerophagia after eating.

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Causes of acetone belching

Doctors associate the most common causes of acetone belching with a number of pathologies, but the appearance of the acetone smell is almost always based on a biochemical factor such as incomplete hydrolysis of proteins, fats and carbohydrates consumed with food.

Firstly, the smell of acetone from the mouth and acetone belching can be indisputable evidence of diabetes mellitus in the patient. Secondly, the main etiological factor of acetone belching is too high a content of proteins and fats in the diet with a lack of carbohydrates (glucose), as well as a complete absence or significant deficiency of proteins and fats in food (with "starvation" diets).

In addition, aerophagia with the smell of acetone can occur as a result of the presence of large amounts of acetone, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyrate (ketone bodies) in the blood plasma, which is facilitated by liver pathologies (in which these ketone bodies are synthesized), thyroid diseases (thyrotoxicosis), brain tumors, etc.

Causes of burping in children

As the main cause of belching in children, especially in infants, pediatricians call air swallowing (aerophagia), which occurs due to underdevelopment of the nervous system of regulation of the digestive system and immaturity of the lower esophageal valve. Or due to the presence of neuropathic syndrome in children in the first year of life. Both of these go away on their own over time.

Very often, the etiological factors of regurgitation in infants are associated with sucking on a pacifier (which also swallows air), and intense (greedy) sucking of the breast when there is insufficient milk production.

Aerophagia in infants looks like regurgitation of curdled milk, that is, in essence, it is the same gastroesophageal reflux.

In the first six months after birth, regurgitation in children is considered normal. You should worry if the child regurgitates almost after every feeding and does not gain weight.

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Causes of belching during pregnancy

The causes of belching during pregnancy are in the vast majority of cases related to the fact that the uterus, growing as the fetus develops, begins to press on the abdominal organs and the diaphragm. In this case, the natural position of the stomach is disrupted, and the lower esophageal sphincter and cardiac sphincter of the stomach may not cope with their functions, which leads to aerophagia.

In addition, a factor in the development of heartburn and belching during pregnancy is the hormonally regulated relaxation of muscle tissue, which leads to a decrease in esophageal peristalsis and a slower movement of food.

Errors in the diet of a pregnant woman - fatty, spicy, fried - also make their "moderate contribution" to the appearance of acidic aerophagia. And the reasons for belching bile during pregnancy are the above-described gastroduodenal reflux, which occurs due to compression of the duodenum by the enlarged uterus.

As you can see, the causes of belching are indeed very diverse. And this physiological manifestation of the digestive system should be taken seriously, because it can be a signal of a number of diseases.

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