Belching?

Belching, or burping, is the expulsion of gas from the stomach out through the mouth. As the gas escapes, it produces the characteristic sound known as a burp or belch. The most common cause of belching is swallowing air.

Swallowing air and belching are natural occurrences that result from eating or drinking too quickly. Chewing gum or drinking carbonated beverages can also introduce air into the stomach and cause belching. Because infants frequently swallow air when feeding, burping or belching is normal after they have been fed. The act of burping an infant helps relieve the discomfort caused by swallowed air.

In addition to swallowed air, many different types of gastrointestinal conditions and diseases can cause belching. Belching may occur with conditions that slow digestion, delayed stomach emptying, and mechanical obstructions, such as pyloric obstruction (a blockage between the stomach and small intestine). Pregnant women may also experience belching due to hormonal changes that slow the digestive process.

Belching can also arise from conditions that impair the normal digestive process in other ways, such as acid reflux, hiatal hernia, or stomach acid deficiency. In these cases, belching may occur frequently after meals, and it may become chronic.

Belching is rarely associated with a medical emergency. Seek immediate medical care if your belching is associated with severe abdominal pain, chest pain, persistent nausea and vomiting, or high fever.

What other symptoms might occur with belching?

Belching may be accompanied by other symptoms, depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition.

Digestive symptoms that may occur along with belching

• Abdominal swelling, distension or bloating
• Change in bowel habits
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Flatulence
• Heartburn
• Nausea with or without vomiting

Other symptoms that may occur along with belching

Excessive belching may accompany symptoms related to other body systems. Belching can occur as a nervous habit and may be associated with generalized symptoms including:

• Anxiety
• Emotional stress
• Nervousness

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition

Belching alone is rarely a sign of a medical emergency. In some cases, however, belching may occur with other symptoms that might indicate a serious or life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Seek immediate medical care if you, or someone you are with, have any of these life-threatening symptoms including:

• Chest pain, chest tightness, chest pressure, palpitations
• High fever 
• Respiratory or breathing problems, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, laboured breathing, wheezing, not breathing, choking
• Severe abdominal pain
• Vomiting blood, rectal bleeding or bloody stool

What causes belching?

Belching is the expulsion of air from the digestive tract, most often as a normal response to swallowed air in the stomach. Everyday habits and behaviors that encourage the swallowing of air are major causes of belching.

Everyday causes of belching

You may develop belching from swallowed air in various situations including:

• Breathing through your mouth
• Chewing gum
• Drinking carbonated beverages
• Drinking through a straw
• Drinking too fast
• Eating too fast
• Experiencing emotional stress or nervousness
• Wearing poorly fitting dentures

Gastrointestinal causes of belching

Almost any condition affecting the digestive tract can cause belching. These include conditions in which the normal movement or flow in the digestive tract is obstructed, interrupted or delayed. Examples include delayed stomach emptying, intestinal obstruction, hiatal hernia, and gastrointestinal reflux disease. In other types of disorders, the enzymes or processes that are needed to digest food completely are either deficient or absent. Examples include lactose intolerance, food allergy, and gallbladder disease.

Belching can be caused by many conditions affecting the digestive tract including:

• Food intolerance or allergy
• Gallbladder disease
• Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining)
• Gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying)
• Gastrointestinal reflux disease
• Hiatal hernia
• Intestinal obstruction
• Pancreatic disease
• Peptic ulcer disease
• Pregnancy
• Pyloric obstruction (obstruction between the stomach and small intestine)
• Tumours of the gastrointestinal tract

Serious or life-threatening causes of belching

Belching is a normal body process that is rarely serious in nature. However, in rare cases, belching may be a symptom of a serious or life-threatening condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. These include:

• Abdominal abscess
• Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
• Obstruction of the digestive tract

What are the potential complications of belching?

Belching is generally a harmless symptom that does not produce long-term complications. However, some of the gastrointestinal conditions associated with belching may have serious complications as a result of the underlying disease rather than the symptom of belching itself. For example, intestinal obstruction due to cancer is a condition that can have long-term and potentially serious or life-threatening complications.