Question for a specialist

Can a bloated belly actually be dangerous?

Depending on whether and which accompanying symptoms are present, rapid action is sometimes required.(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Svitlana)

Readers ask, experts answer on the most burning health issues. Ingrid Z. (60): "My stomach is always uncomfortably bloated. I'm therefore wondering whether this could be dangerous and whether I should have an examination. What do you think?"

MR Dr. Friedrich Weiser MSc, Specialist in Surgery, Medico Chirurgicum Vienna: " It depends on whether it is "just" a distended abdomen or whether there are additional symptoms such as fever and severe pain. In the first case, there is no time pressure. The doctor will normally start by taking a thorough medical history and can then - if necessary - order breath tests for lactose/fructose and a histamine test.

This is because a bloated stomach is often due to a food intolerance. These foods should be avoided as a result, possibly accompanied by a specific diet. A colonoscopy (colonoscopy) is also highly advisable to get a more accurate picture.

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In the second case, i.e. if pain and fever occur, action must be taken quickly. Because then there is an acute illness that needs to be clarified urgently. Admission to hospital and an immediate CT scan as well as treatment, usually with antibiotics, until the diagnosis is confirmed are the first important steps.

Depending on the findings and the other symptoms of the disease, treatment is then either conservative or acute surgical. Therefore, if you have a bloated stomach with severe pain and a high temperature, please seek immediate specialist treatment from an intestinal specialist!