What abdominal bloating can mean

The abdomen may feel full after swallowed air, constipation, a large meal or slower movement of food through the gut. Food Intolerance, Lactose Intolerance and Coeliac Disease can produce meal-related symptoms. Irritable Bowel Syndrome may cause bloating with constipation, diarrhoea or abdominal discomfort. Giardiasis and Helicobacter Pylori Infection are other possibilities in the right context. Location, bowel pattern and whether the abdomen changes after passing stool or gas are useful clues, not a diagnosis.

Note whether fullness is central or localised, when it begins, what you eat, stool frequency, pain, vomiting and menstrual timing if relevant. Eat slowly, drink steadily, move gently and address constipation with advice suited to you. Avoid foods that consistently worsen symptoms, but keep meals varied. Nutrition Counselling can help if food restriction is becoming difficult. Arrange a routine review when bloating is frequent, persistent or accompanied by a change in bowel habits.

Seek urgent medical help if bloating comes with severe or rapidly increasing pain, a hard abdomen, repeated vomiting, inability to pass stool or gas, fainting, blood in stool, black stool, fever with marked illness, or yellow skin or eyes. Do not wait for a routine appointment if you cannot keep fluids down or are becoming confused or very weak.

Ask whether constipation, a food-related problem, infection or another cause best fits your pattern. Should you have an examination or tests? Which diet changes are reasonable, and which symptoms require urgent reassessment?