I have a symptom — what could it be?
Patients usually look for their own complaint rather than a diagnosis. Each page below sets out what that complaint can mean, when it matters and how it is investigated, in the physician’s own words.
19 complaints
- What Causes Heartburn? My stomach is burning · Burning in the chest · Acid rising · Pyrosis Heartburn is a burning, hot, sour or uncomfortable sensation felt in the upper abdomen, over the stomach, or behind the breastbone. In some people it comes on after meals; in others it becomes noticeable at night on lying down, or when the stomach is empty.
- What Causes Nausea? I feel sick · I feel like vomiting · Feeling queasy Nausea is the unpleasant sensation of being about to vomit. It usually begins in the region of the stomach but can affect the whole body. It may occur together with vomiting, but not every episode of nausea ends in vomiting.
- What Causes Abdominal Pain? My stomach hurts · Stomach ache · Pain in the groin · Pain around the navel Abdominal pain is a common complaint that almost everyone meets at some point in life. It can arise from causes as varied as simple wind or indigestion, through to conditions requiring urgent assessment such as appendicitis, gallbladder disease or pancreatitis.
- What Causes Bloating? My abdomen swells up · A feeling of tightness · Abdominal distension Bloating is the feeling that the abdomen is full, tight, under pressure or swollen. Some people have only the sensation of bloating; in others there is also a visible increase in girth.
- What Causes Constipation? I cannot open my bowels · Difficulty passing stool · Being bunged up Constipation does not simply mean opening the bowels infrequently. Hard stools, excessive straining, difficulty in passing the stool, and the feeling that the bowel has not emptied completely afterwards are also among the symptoms of constipation.
- What Causes Diarrhoea? I have diarrhoea · Watery stools · Loose bowels Diarrhoea is stool that is looser or more watery than normal, most often together with an increase in how frequently the bowels are opened. It is generally short-lived and settles on its own. Diarrhoea that is long-standing, that recurs often, or that is accompanied by other important symptoms should nevertheless have its cause investigated.
- What Causes Blood in the Stool? There is blood in my stool · Bleeding from the back passage · Black stools · Melaena Blood in the stool can appear in various forms, from a few drops of bright red blood coming from the back passage through to a stool that is entirely black and tarry in appearance.
- What Causes Unexplained Weight Loss? I am losing weight · Unintentional weight loss · I am getting thinner Unexplained or unintentional weight loss is a fall in body weight in a person who has not been dieting or exercising in order to lose weight.
- Why Have My Eyes Turned Yellow? My eyes have gone yellow · Jaundice · My skin has gone yellow · Dark urine Yellowing of the whites of the eyes is most often due to a rise in a substance in the blood called bilirubin. When the bilirubin rises further, yellowing can be noticed in the skin as well. This is called jaundice (icterus).
- What Causes Itching Around the Anus? My back passage itches · Itching at the anus · Pruritus ani Anal itching (pruritus ani) is a sensation of itching, burning or irritation around the anus. It is quite common and most of the time does not arise from a serious disease.
- What Causes Pain in the Back Passage? My back passage hurts · Pain at the anus · Pain when opening my bowels Anal pain is pain felt at or around the anus, in the form of burning, stinging, a cutting sensation, pressure or throbbing.
- What Causes Fluid to Collect in the Abdomen? Fluid has gathered in my abdomen · Ascites · My abdomen has got bigger The collection of more fluid than normal in the abdominal cavity is called ascites. It is often described in everyday speech as "water gathering in the abdomen".
- What Causes Early Satiety and Fullness? I feel full after eating very little · Early satiety · A feeling of fullness Early satiety is feeling too full to finish a meal although you have eaten far less than you would normally be able to eat.
- What Causes Vomiting? I am being sick · Vomiting · Vomiting like coffee grounds Vomiting is the involuntary and forceful expulsion of the stomach contents through the mouth. It is generally seen together with nausea, but in some people it can occur without nausea.
- What Causes Wind and Excessive Belching? I have a lot of wind · I keep belching · Excessive belching · Wind pain Passing wind and belching from time to time are part of the normal workings of the digestive system.
- What Do Abnormal Liver Tests Mean? Raised liver enzymes · High ALT · High AST · Liver function tests · Raised transaminases Finding a raised ALT, AST, GGT, ALP or bilirubin on a blood test is common, and it does not always mean there is serious liver disease.
- What Causes Difficulty Swallowing (Dysphagia)? Dysphagia · Food sticks in my throat · Food will not go down my chest · Trouble swallowing Difficulty swallowing is the sense of effort or obstruction as food or drink passes from the mouth to the stomach; it is not a disease in itself but a symptom whose cause needs to be found.
- What Causes Fatty Stools (Steatorrhoea)? Steatorrhoea · Fatty stool · My stool floats · Greasy, foul-smelling stool Steatorrhoea is the passage of more fat than normal in the stool, because fat is not being adequately digested or absorbed in the intestine.
- Anaemia and the Digestive System Anaemia · Iron deficiency anaemia · Low haemoglobin · Low ferritin · B12 deficiency Anaemia is a haemoglobin level below what is expected for a person’s age and sex; a substantial proportion of its causes can lie in the stomach and bowel.
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From complaint to condition
Every complaint the physician named, with the condition pages each one is dealt with in. Where the complaint has a page of its own, its name leads there.
- Abdominal pain
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)Gallstones: What Do They Mean?Diverticulosis, Diverticulitis and Diverticular BleedingCrohn's DiseaseUlcerative Colitis
- Bloating
- Gas and BloatingIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)Coeliac DiseaseDelayed Gastric Emptying (Gastroparesis)Ascites (Fluid in the Abdomen)
- Wind
- Gas and BloatingIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)Coeliac DiseaseDelayed Gastric Emptying (Gastroparesis)
- Nausea and vomiting
- Helicobacter pylori InfectionDelayed Gastric Emptying (Gastroparesis)Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome
- Diarrhoea
- Diarrhoea After Taking AntibioticsIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)Coeliac DiseaseUlcerative ColitisCrohn's Disease
- Constipation
- ConstipationIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)Diverticulosis, Diverticulitis and Diverticular Bleeding
- Blood in the stool
- Rectal Bleeding: What Does Blood from the Back Passage Mean?Colon PolypsUlcerative ColitisLarge Bowel Cancer
- Black stools
- Haematemesis (Vomiting Blood)Peptic Ulcer DiseaseDuodenal Ulcer DiseaseOesophageal Varices