Abdominal bloating and distention affect approximately 30% of the general population and up to 90% of those with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Often used interchangeably, they are distinct.

Technically, bloating is a temporary feeling of fullness, usually due to intestinal gas, while abdominal distension refers to a visible, measurable increase in the stomach’s size.

Abdominal bloating and gas are among the most common digestive complaints that doctors hear from patients. Often, patients also describe belching or abdominal distension as well as symptoms of ...

Bloating encompasses a variety of inconvenient feelings, including trapped gas, abdominal pressure, and a feeling of fullness, whereas distention is an increase in abdominal protrusion.

Sometimes, clothes fit tighter due to weight gain. Other times, it’s abdominal distension, a fancy term for bloat. In both cases, you likely want to get rid of it ASAP.

When bloating and pain or distention are chronic problems, a healthcare provider may give you a referral to a specialist called a gastroenterologist. Gastroenterologists have training in diseases ...

This can lead to sensations of bloating and actual distention of the colon. Many medications are notorious for causing intestinal issues, such as gas production and constipation.

Symptoms of belching, bloating and distention are common and may impair patients’ daily activities. Management of these conditions includes dietary, gut-directed behavioral and drug therapies.

Response from Yehuda Ringel, MD Abdominal distension and bloating are commonly reported in patients with IBS. In fact, Manning and colleagues [1] originally included abdominal bloating as one of ...

Bloating and distention are common and, for most people, will resolve after a short period of time. But some people, including those with certain medical conditions, are more prone to bloating ...

Bloating may occur after an abdominal hysterectomy, an invasive surgery. Your abdominal muscles will take time to heal, with underlying inflammation causing temporary swelling.