Causes of indigestion - Indigestion

Causes of indigestion
Your stomach produces a strong acid that helps digest food and protects you against infection. A layer of mucous lines the stomach, oesophagus and intestines to act as a barrier against this acid. If the mucous layer is damaged, the acid can irritate the tissues underneath.

Some of the following can trigger symptoms of indigestion:
drinking excess alcohol
smoking
stress and anxiety
medicines such as aspirin and anti-inflammatory medicines used to treat arthritis
eating certain foods can relax the valve (sphincter) at the join between your oesophagus and stomach or cause direct irritation to the lining of your oesophagus
not eating regular meals, as acid levels can build up if meals are missed

Symptoms of indigestion
If you have indigestion you may have the following symptoms:

pain, fullness or discomfort in the upper part of your abdomen or chest
heartburn
loss of appetite
feeling sick
flatulence (gas passed from your rectum), burping or belching
Indigestion has several causes. Depending on what's causing your indigestion, your symptoms may go very quickly, come and go, or they may be regular and last a long time.

The symptoms of indigestion may sometimes be caused by a serious underlying condition.
You should visit your GP for advice if you have:
unintended weight loss
unexplained and continual indigestion symptoms for the first time and you are aged 55 or older
severe pain, or the pain gets worse or changes

You need to seek urgent medical attention if you vomit blood, even if it's only present in the vomit as specks of blood or blood that looks like coffee grains.