Understanding Intestinal Gas
Dr. Azpiroz is the recipient of the IFFGD 2005 Research Award to Senior Investigator, Clinical Science. Dr. Azpiroz's clinical practice develops in a large referral unit, and specifically focuses on functional gut disorders. His research program investigates the origin of gastrointestinal symptoms and involves both physiologic and pathophysiologic aspects of the control mechanisms of gut motility, visceral sensitivity, and more recently, intestinal gas dynamics (the movement of gas through the gut).
Summary
- It is normal to have gas in the digestive system.
- Some persons have too much gas. Some have problems passing gas.
- In still others, their GI tracts are more sensitive to the presence of gas.
- Finding out why gas is causing discomfort helps find ways to reduce discomfort.
Bacteria play an important role in the make up of intestinal gas. The colon, or large intestine, contains a great amount of bacteria. Some bacteria produce gas while others consume it.
Researchers, in studies of healthy subjects and patients with gas symptoms, have learned several things about how gas travels through the gut (transit). Investigators measure the amount of gas passed through the anus, changes in patients' girth (waist size), and how the patients feel.
Troubles that individuals have related to gas in the gut include conditions such as belching, excessive or foul-smelling air, and impaired anal evacuation. Some diseases, which are easily recognizable by a doctor, affect the normal absorption of nutrients within the small bowel. Patients with these usually treatable diseases may have excessive gas production and evacuation.
Patients with functional GI disorders such as IBS frequently attribute their abdominal symptoms to gas. Bloating, for instance, is one the most common and bothersome complaints in many patients with functional GI disorders.
Treatment options
Treatment depends on the cause of the symptoms. Treatment options can be classified into two main categories depending on whether the patient has evidence of excessive amounts of gas in the gut, or whether there is no evidence of excess gas and the patient actually has a functional bowel syndrome with unexplained abdominal symptoms.