Belching or burping is the body's natural method of removing gas from the stomach. Belching, also known as eructation, remains a social faux pas and is considered by many to be rude. Belching is commonly related to bloating and flatulence. Most people create between a pint and half a gallon of gas per day, according to the American Gastroenterological Association. A variety of medical conditions may cause belching.
Aerophagia
Excessively swallowing air is medically termed aerophagia. A person can swallow excess air when eating abruptly, talking and chewing food and even when drinking out of a straw. Smokers commonly inhale excess air and suffer from belching. Chewing gum or eating hard candy also causes the condition. Excessive salivation also causes increased air swallowing when conditions such as a hiatal hernia or gastroesophageal reflux exist. Older patients wearing loose fitting dentures commonly suffer from aerophagia. Some people unintentionally swallow additional air when nervous.
Beverages
Carbonated beverages are a simple culprit to excess belching and bloating. Soda and beer will cause excess belching in most people. Sodas contain carbon dioxide; when carbon dioxide warms in the stomach, it creates additional gas. Consuming the beverages quickly will add to the additional air swallowed.
Indigestion
Indigestion is described as a group of symptoms causing a feeling of fullness after eating, uncomfortable fullness and burning or pain in the upper abdominal area, reports the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. The medical term for indigestion is dyspepsia. Conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric cancer and peptic ulcers may cause indigestion. Occasionally, the exact cause of indigestion remains unknown. Patients should seek medical care of signs of indigestion last longer than two weeks, reports MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health.
Gastritis
Gastritis is the inflammation of the stomach lining. The most frequent cause of gastritis is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. When the organism is in the stomach, excessive bloating occurs. A person may relieve themselves of bloating by removing air through belching repeatedly. The condition is diagnosed by a gastroenterologist using a breath or stool test. Left untreated, the condition may lead to stomach ulcers and a person is at increased risk of stomach cancer, reports MayoClinic.com.
