Dyspepsia / Indigestion

• Both men and women can get indigestion.
• People of any age, even infants, can get indigestion.
• About one of every four people get indigestion at some point.
• Indigestion can happen once in a while for some, or as often as every day for others.

Note : Indigestion is not the same as heartburn, but you may have symptoms of both health issues. If you suspect you have heartburn, ask your doctor for more information..

Symptoms

You may have one or more of these feelings if you are experiencing indigestion :

• The feeling of being full or getting full quickly during a meal (and being unable to complete the meal). 
• Painful fullness after a meal (as if food is staying in the stomach too long and not moving).
• Heat, burning or pain between your belly button and lower breastbone (in the upper belly); this pain can range from mild to very bad.

Some less frequent feelings that could be linked to indigestion are :

• Bloating (bad swelling in the stomach).
• Throwing up.
• Burping.
• Nausea.

You should talk to your doctor if :

• Your indigestion lasts more than two weeks.
• Your symptoms change (they get a lot worse or become more common or ongoing).
• You see blood in your stool (or you start throwing up blood).
• You experience sudden weight loss for no reason.
• You start having really bad belly pain.
• You have trouble swallowing.
• You start experiencing jaundice (when your skin and/or the whites of your eyes turn yellow).

Causes

There are a number of things that could cause the symptoms of indigestion

For some, certain actions can cause feelings of indigestion, such as :

• Eating too fast.
• Eating too much in one sitting.
• Eating high - fat, greasy or spicy foods.
• Smoking. 
• Drinking alcohol. 
• Consuming too much caffeine.
• Taking some drugs.
• Experiencing stress.

If your indigestion lasts for more than two weeks, or you are having symptoms like bleeding, weight loss or trouble swallowing along with your indigestion, call your doctor as soon as possible, as it could be a sign of a more serious health problem.  Other causes of indigestion (non-ulcer dyspepsia) could be :

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• Peptic ulcer disease.
• Problems of the pancreas or bile ducts.
• Gallstones.
• Gastritis.
• Cancer.

For some, indigestion may continue, but no direct cause can be found. This is called functional dyspepsia and could be linked to your stomach muscle not working as it should to move food to the small intestine. If this is the case, work with your doctor to figure out some life changes that could help your symptoms.