Digestive Symptoms

What are digestive problems?

Digestive symptoms include a wide variety of symptoms that affect the digestive or gastrointestinal system. The gastrointestinal system includes the throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, anus, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. Digestive symptoms can be due to a wide variety of mild to serious diseases, disorders and conditions. They can occur in all age groups and populations.

Common digestive symptoms include:

• Abdominal pain

• Abdominal swelling, bloating or distention

• Belching

• Burning in the throat

• Constipation

• Diarrhea

• Gas and flatulence

• Indigestion

• Nausea

• Reflux

• Vomiting

Digestive symptoms can vary greatly in character and severity depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition. Depending on the cause, digestive symptoms can last briefly and disappear quickly, such as symptoms that occur during a single episode of indigestion. Digestive symptoms can also persist or recur over a longer period of time, such as when due to colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.

Digestive symptoms that are associated with dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, bloody stool, or major rectal bleeding can indicate a serious, potentially life-threatening condition. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these symptoms. Seek prompt medical care if your symptoms are persistent, recur, or cause you concern.