What Causes Burping After Meals?

Burping after meals can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'troubling' to 'needs attention'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose burping after meals, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "burping after meals" as a symptom. Here are four possibilities:

Lactose Intolerance
Gallbladder Disease
Poor Digestion
Stomach Acid Deficiency

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

moderate right hypochondriac pain

offensive-smelling stool

Under 4 years at 120-180 blood sugar

gallbladder attacks

very frequent stools

current birth control pill use

recent onset nausea

fatty food intolerance

major recent weight loss

low egg consumption

regular episodes of diarrhea

adult acne

... and more than 60 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of burping after meals:

Cause	Probability	Status
Gallbladder Disease	98%	Confirm
Lactose Intolerance	16%	Unlikely
Stomach Acid Deficiency	0%	Ruled out
Poor Digestion	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate occasional problems caused by eating, regular problems caused by eating or frequent problems caused by eating, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Do you burp (belch) more than usual within about 1 hour of eating a meal?

Possible responses:

→ Don't know / I never burp
→ No / rarely / only if I eat too much
→ Occasionally - several times a year
→ Regularly - at least once a month
→ Frequently - after most or all meals

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate absence of meal-related burping, occasional meal-related burping, regular meal-related burping or frequent meal-related burping, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Dyspepsia / Poor Digestion

Gallbladder Disease

The gallbladder acts as a storage unit for the bile made by the liver, which is used to help digest fatty foods. Burping or belching may suggest the presence of gallstones that block the bile duct, leading to digestive distress. Frequent burps can occur when gas is created due to incomplete digestion.

Hydrochloric Acid Deficiency

Lactose Intolerance

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™