Bloating could be a sign of a serious illness, doctors warn

General practitioner and gastroenterologist Elena Pavlova warned that bloating can be a sign of a serious illness.

Various diseases, such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and others, can be hidden behind ordinary bloating.

The FODMAP diet is a medical tool, not a universal cure for bloating, and response to foods depends on individual tolerance.

MOSCOW, September 28 - RIA Novosti. Abdominal bloating may be a sign of a serious illness, so you should not engage in self-diagnosis, warned general practitioner and gastroenterologist Elena Pavlova.

“Bloating is a nonspecific symptom that may be the tip of the iceberg. Self-diagnosis is dangerous, as you can miss a serious illness,” Pavlova told the Izvestia newspaper.

According to the doctor, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, bacterial overgrowth syndrome, chronic pancreatitis, parasitic infections, side effects of medications and gynecological diseases can be hidden behind the usual bloating.

The material notes that when many people feel bloated, they try the FODMAP diet, which is actively recommended on social networks, but this is a medical tool, not a universal remedy. According to the publication, FODMAPs are a group of fermentable carbohydrates that are poorly digested in the small intestine and end up in the large intestine, where they become food for bacteria.

In turn, general practitioner, gastroenterologist Olga Chistik, in a conversation with the publication, noted that the reaction to products depends on individual tolerance.