Anxiety and Gastro Issues

Anxiety and Gastro Issues

We live in pandemic times, and thus anxiety looms large. Anxiety states are known to be associated with gastro problems. In fact, these are now called “brain-gut axis” disorders.

This is not something new …you would have heard your tummy make weird sounds before going to an interview …or you would have heard a child telling that’s he or she is experiencing a abdominal discomfort just before the exams …you would have witnessed a few students vomit or have loose stools just before the exam hall …I am sure you are all aware the sense of anxiousness is more related to gastric symptoms.

Symptoms may include difficulty in swallowing, abnormal bloating after food intake, upper abdominal burning, discomfort/pain, constipation, diarrhea, and region pain.

Neurochemicals released during stress/anxiety state are responsible for specific symptoms. It is important to understand that these disorders are not due to any disease in the digestive system. Therefore, once the stress factors leading to anxiety are identified and presented to the patient, he/she is able to avoid them/process them better mentally, and thus many of the symptoms abate. If this is not identified, it will result in unnecessary investigations and unsatisfied patients.

Good life style modifications

Proper timing of meals good hydration sleep hygiene and sunlight exposure and most importantly physical activity and making the mind stress-free are all essential to avoid such symptoms.

The role of a gastro physician and occasional referral to a psychologist/psychiatrist is usually very important in solving the problem in select cases. There are certain “red flag signs/symptoms” which need to be ruled out before labelling a patient as having “anxiety-induced” “functional gastro disorder”. These include severe abdominal pain, blood loss in vomitus or stools, unexplained weight loss, fever, etc.

In my personal experience, a sympathetic ear to patients’ concerns and kind words go a long way in healing such patients compared to supportive medication.