Stomach Pain After Eating

Here are the main causes of stomach pain after eating that may require medical attention.

Ulcers - If you have an ulcer, any food you eat may irritate it, causing stomach pains after you've eaten. You can get ulcers in the lining of stomach itself, or you can get them in the upper part of the intestine known as the duodenum.

Stomach cancer - Unfortunately, stomach pains after eating may indicate that there's a tumor in your stomach. Incidence of stomach cancer has been dropping for decades in the United States, but it's still a possibility.

Gastroenteritis or "stomach flu" - Vomiting and stomach discomfort are common when you have a stomach virus. Vomiting is a natural way of getting rid of the bacteria in your stomach. Of course it is not uncommon to experience some abdominal discomfort and nausea at the same time, especially after eating.

Often people use the words stomach pain when they're not actually talking about the stomach at all. The pain is occurring in the abdominal area, and the cause may not be related to the stomach.

Pain from diverticulitis is a good example. Diverticulitis is a colon condition in which small pouches form in the lining of the colon and then become inflamed. It is not uncommon for diverticulitis to cause abdominal pain after eating.

Heart problems - Angina, which is better known as chest pain, is the most prominent symptom of an impending heart attack. But sometimes heart problems cause pain in the upper stomach area too. This is called referred pain, and it happens because certain types of food raise blood pressure, making your heart work harder. Heart attacks tend to happen when your blood pressure is up and your heart is working harder.

Gallbladder trouble - Gallbladder problems typically cause stomach pain after eating, especially if you've just consumed a fatty, high cholesterol meal. When a lot of cholesterol accumulates too quickly in the gallbladder, it becomes inflamed. This kind of event is described as a gallbladder attack. Gallstones can also cause sharp stomach pain after eating, and may last for a few minutes or a few hours.

Pancreatitis - The pancreas is another organ that is affected when food reaches the stomach and the digestive process begins. Pain starts in the upper abdomen and spreads to the sides and back. Pancreatitis usually strikes six-to-twelve hours after you eat. Other symptoms include nausea, a rapid pulse, or fever.

Lactose intolerance - When your digestive system has difficulty processing of dairy products, you are said to have "lactose intolerance." Symptoms of lactose intolerance include