Dyspepsia/indigestion

Dyspepsia and indigestion are vague and medically imprecise terms used by both patients and doctors to describe any sort of distress associated with meals, including pain, discomfort, nausea, heartburn, distension and belching.

Key facts The cause of dyspepsia is uncertain. Delayed gastric emptying may contribute but hyperacidity is not usually involved

The most common symptom described as dyspepsia is a feeling of discomfort in the epigastric region, especially after a fatty meal.

How Gaviscon works
How Gaviscon works
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The underlying cause of most forms of non-ulcer dyspepsia is unclear but it is known that fatty foods delay emptying of the stomach and cause release of hormones that affect peristalsis. This may be why some patients benefit from reducing the amount of fat in their diet. There is no good evidence that dyspeptic symptoms are due to hyperacidity in the stomach.

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