Flatulence
From Anvita Health Wiki
Contents |
Introduction
- Expulsion of intestinal gas per rectum.
Etiology
- aerophagia (swallowed air)
- gas produced in the intestine by bacterial fermentation
- normally gas-producing bacteria are limited to the colon
- principal gases produced are carbon dioxide & hydrogen
- small quantities of odiferous gases are produced
- undigested complex carbohydrates
- legumes - stachyose, raffinose
- some grains
- small amounts of carbon dioxide is produced in the duodenum when HCl from the stomach or fatty acids are neutralized by bicarbonate from the pancreas
- 1/3 of adults produce significant quantities of intestinal methane
- familial trait
- unrelated to ingestion of specific foods
Pathology
- gas from the small intestine swallowed or internally ingested passes into the colon
- undigested complex carbohydrates & simple sugars ( fructose & sucrose) pass into the colon & provide substrate for gas-forming colonic bacteria
Management
- avoidance of offending foods
- legumes
- some grains
- fructose
- Mylanta
- chamomile
- activated charcoal may be of some benefit in reducing flatulence from carbohydrate malabsorption
- simethicone may alter elasticity or gas bubbles
More General Terms
Additional Terms
References
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th ed. Fauci et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1998, pg 234-235
- Gas in the Digestive Tract [1]
- What I need to know about Gas [2]
