Overview
A swollen abdomen occurs when your stomach area is larger than normal. This is sometimes known as a distended abdomen or swollen belly. A swollen abdomen is often uncomfortable or even painful. A swollen abdomen has a number of potential causes and is a common occurrence.
Your abdomen could be swollen for different reasons. These range fromeating too muchtopregnancy. Only your doctor will be able to determine the exact cause of your swollen abdomen.
A common cause of abdominal swelling isgas. Swallowing air as part of a nervous habit or from eating foods that are high in fiber can lead to gas production. If you don’t release this gas, it can lead to abdominal swelling.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)is a disorder that causes cramping and pain in your stomach, among other symptoms. IBS can also causebloatingand gas, which could cause you to have a distended abdomen.
According to the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Diseases, about1 in 10people have symptoms of IBS.
Lactose intolerance
Lactose intoleranceis a condition that occurs when your body is unable to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Symptoms of lactose intolerance include abdominal bloating and gas. These symptoms can cause your abdomen to swell.
If you experience a swollen abdomen within two hours of ingesting dairy, you might be lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance ismost commonin people of African, Asian, Hispanic and American Indian descent.
Ascites
Ascitesis a condition that occurs when fluid builds up inside your abdomen. This buildup is usually due to problems with your liver, such ascirrhosis. Cirrhosis occurs when your liver becomes extremely scarred.
When ascites first develops, you probably won’t notice any symptoms. As the fluid accumulates over time, you’ll start to notice your abdomen becoming more and more swollen. Ascites can cause you discomfort.
Other causes
Your swollen abdomen could be caused by other, less common symptoms. For example,gallstonesare hard masses that can build up in your gallbladder.
Pancreatitisis an inflammation of the pancreas. Weight gain may also cause swelling of the abdomen, as can a blockage in your intestine. Anovarian cystmay also lead to a swollen abdomen.
Home treatments
Depending upon the cause of your swollen abdomen, you might be able to treat your symptoms easily at home.
If your abdomen is swollen because you ate too much, simply waiting for your food to digest could solve your problem. Eatingsmaller mealscan help prevent this problem in the future. Also, consider eating more slowly to give your stomach time to process your food.
If your abdomen is swollen because of gas, try avoiding foods that are known to cause gas. Some of these foods are beans and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. Avoid drinking carbonated drinks and drinking out of a straw. Eating slowly can also help prevent you from swallowing air, which leads to gas.
Avoiding dairy products can help relieve abdominal swelling caused by lactose intolerance. In the case of IBS,decreasing your stress levelsandraising your fiber intakehave been shown to help relieve symptoms. If you have ascites, bed rest and reducing yoursodium intakecan help your body get rid of the excess fluid.
Medical treatment
If rest and lowering the amount of sodium in your diet don’t work to relieve symptoms, your doctor might suggest usingdiuretics.
Diuretics will help your kidneys remove more of the fluid causing the swelling. In rare cases, an infection can develop in your ascitic fluid. If this happens, you’ll need to undergo rigorous treatment with antibiotics.
There isn’t much medical treatment available to relieve a swollen abdomen due to IBS and lactose intolerance.
Ascites is typically a side effect of another serious issue in the body, such ascirrhosis. You should talk to your doctor about a plan of care.
In addition to treating the causing ailment, you may need to undergo removal of the fluid. The fluid removal procedure, orparacentesis, varies in duration since it depends on how much fluid needs to be removed.
It’s unlikely that your swollen abdomen is the result of any serious illness, but there are a few things you should look out for. Call your doctor if your abdomen is getting bigger, or if you have other symptoms that accompany the swelling, such asfeverornausea.
Seek medical care if you have extremediarrheaor blood in your stool. If you find that you’re unable to eat or drink for more than eight hours, tell your doctor.
You can connect with a primary care doctor in your area using theHealthline FindCare tool.