Indigestion (dyspepsia)
Discomfort or pain in the upper abdomen after eating, with fullness, bloating or nausea. Extremely common and usually harmless, often from diet or reflux, but persistent indigestion or certain warning features deserve assessment — and it must not be confused with heart pain.
What it means
Indigestion (dyspepsia) is a term for discomfort centred in the upper abdomen, typically after eating — a feeling of pain or burning, uncomfortable fullness, early satiety, bloating, belching or nausea. It is one of the most common digestive complaints. Much of it is related to diet and lifestyle (large, fatty or spicy meals, alcohol, coffee, eating quickly, stress) and often overlaps with acid reflux and heartburn. Common underlying causes include gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, gastritis or a stomach or duodenal ulcer (often linked to Helicobacter pylori infection or anti-inflammatory painkillers), and, very commonly, 'functional dyspepsia', where the same symptoms occur without any damage found. Two things matter. First, persistent indigestion is worth investigating for a treatable cause such as H. pylori. Second, and importantly, upper-abdominal or lower-chest discomfort is not always the stomach — a heart problem can present this way, so symptoms with breathlessness, sweating, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw must be treated as a possible heart attack.
Common causes
- Diet and lifestyle — large, fatty or spicy meals, alcohol, coffee, eating quickly, stress.
- Acid reflux (GERD) — overlapping heartburn and reflux.
- Gastritis or stomach/duodenal ulcer — often from H. pylori or anti-inflammatory painkillers.
- Functional dyspepsia — typical symptoms with normal investigations; very common.
- Gallstones — discomfort after fatty meals.
- Certain medications.
- Important mimic — heart pain (angina or heart attack) can feel like indigestion.
Lab work-up approach
Indigestion usually needs no tests and settles with lifestyle changes and acid-reducing treatment. When it persists, targeted tests help: testing for Helicobacter pylori (a breath, stool or blood test) is high-yield because it is common and curable, and a full blood count and ferritin check for iron-deficiency anaemia that could suggest bleeding from an ulcer. The key investigation for persistent or alarm-feature dyspepsia is endoscopy, not a blood test. Mediora.AI can flag an iron-deficiency pattern that would prompt a closer look; indigestion itself is assessed clinically, with H. pylori testing and, when indicated, endoscopy by your doctor.
Tests Mediora.AI can interpret
Related conditions
Panels to consider
When to see a doctor
Occasional indigestion responds to simple measures — smaller meals, avoiding trigger foods and late eating, reducing alcohol and caffeine, and over-the-counter antacids or acid-reducing medicines. See a doctor if indigestion is persistent or recurrent, not controlled by these measures, or new over the age of 50, so a cause such as H. pylori can be found and treated. Seek prompt assessment for alarm features — difficulty or pain on swallowing, unintentional weight loss, vomiting, black or bloody stools, or anaemia — which warrant endoscopy. Crucially, chest or upper-abdominal discomfort with breathlessness, sweating, or pain spreading to the arm, neck or jaw is a possible heart attack and a medical emergency — do not dismiss it as indigestion. Mediora.AI helps flag an anaemia contributor; persistent or alarm-feature indigestion is assessed by your doctor.