What are the symptoms of epigastric pain at night?

This article is expertly consulted by MSc Vu Tan Phuc - Gastroenterologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

Epigastric pain at night is a common condition in adults, seriously affecting health and quality of life. Epigastric pain symptoms can be caused by stress, a mild digestive disorder or a warning sign of other serious health problems.

Epigastric pain is a common condition after eating too much or due to vigorous exercise right after eating. However, if this condition often occurs at night, it may be due to a number of conditions such as:
1.1 Gastroesophageal reflux This is one of the most common causes of epigastric pain. At night.
The cause of gastroesophageal reflux - esophageal reflux is due to a weakened esophageal valve, creating conditions for gastric juice to pass through, back up into the esophagus.
A number of factors increase the risk of gastroesophageal reflux - oesophag There are other symptoms such as belching, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, ...

1.2 Gastroenteritis This is the most common disease of the gastrointestinal tract, caused by an irregular diet - lifestyle or by Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Patients with gastritis present with epigastric pain both when hungry and when full, in some cases worse at night.
Besides, the patient also has other accompanying symptoms such as nausea, belching, burning in the abdomen,...
1.3 Esophagitis This is also a common digestive disease, arising when class The lining of the esophagus is inflamed. When infected, patients often have symptoms of epigastric pain at night, accompanied by other manifestations such as difficulty swallowing, pain spreading to the chest, ...
If not detected early and intervened, treatment , esophagitis can progress complicatedly, giving rise to many dangerous complications such as esophageal ulcers, esophageal cancer,...

1.4 Acute pancreatitis The pancreas is an organ located next to the small intestine and stomach, located in the epigastrium. Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas caused by gallstones, infections, immune disorders, or long-term alcohol use.
The pain of acute pancreatitis usually begins in the epigastrium, worse at night, then the pain radiates to the back. At the same time, the patient also has other symptoms such as fever, nausea, abdominal bloating, heart palpitations,...
1.5 Irritable bowel syndrome This is a bowel dysfunction caused by poor nutrition and science. prolonged nervous tension. When suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, patients often have pain in the lower abdomen, left iliac fossa. However, the pain of irritable bowel syndrome can radiate to the epigastrium at night.
In addition, the patient also has other symptoms such as epigastric heat, nausea, fatigue, chest tightness, frequent urination, headache, dizziness, etc. This syndrome is usually not dangerous but very difficult to control. thorough treatment.

1.6 Gallbladder damage Epigastric pain at night is also a symptom of gallbladder injury, specifically inflammation of the biliary tract. This is an infection of the bile ducts with manifestations such as pain in the lower ribs spreading to the epigastrium, indigestion, hyperthermia, nausea, yellow urine,...
Without proper intervention and timely, the disease can cause many serious complications such as gallbladder rupture, cholangitis, gallbladder necrosis, cholangiocarcinoma,...
1.7 Stomach cancer Epigastric pain symptoms at night can be directly related to gastric cancer. Specifically, the appearance of malignant tumors causes the stomach to increase acid secretion, pushing acid back up into the esophagus, causing pain in the epigastrium.
In addition, patients also experience many other specific symptoms such as nausea, choking, belching, black stools, ... Stomach cancer can be life-threatening if not detected. timely diagnosis and treatment.

1.8 Some other diseases causing epigastric pain at night Helminth infection: It is one of the common causes of epigastric pain at night. The reason is that at night is the time when the worms are most active, so they often cause pain. The patient has symptoms of cramping pain, discomfort, severe pain, ...; Zollinger-Ellison syndrome: Characterized by gastrin-secreting tumors in the pancreas and duodenum. When the concentration of gastrin is overproduced, it will cause the stomach to increase acid secretion, increasing the risk of gastric reflux or gastric ulcer, causing epigastric pain at night. In addition, patients may also experience other symptoms such as loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea,...; Liver disease: Some liver diseases such as hepatitis, liver abscess or liver tumor can also cause pain in the epigastrium at night. Among them, liver abscess is the most common cause; Celiac Disease: An allergy to gluten (gluten intolerance). The patient has diarrhea, dark liquid, foul-smelling stools and epigastric pain.

2.1 Mild epigastric pain If epigastric pain is caused by diet, unscientific work, prolonged nervous tension, the patient does not need to be too worried. Adjusting the intensity of work, paying attention to eating and resting properly will help reverse this situation.
To reduce the pain, patients can apply some of the following measures:
Warm the epigastrium: Take some warm water, put it in a pack, rub it on the painful area. The warmth will help reduce the pain in the epigastrium effectively; Drink honey water: Apply to patients with damaged gastric mucosa. When using, the patient takes a spoonful of honey, mixes it with warm water and then drinks it to relieve epigastric pain at night; Drinking warm ginger water: Helps relieve epigastric pain in patients with gastric disease. The essence in ginger also has the effect of supporting the treatment of diseases in the stomach, so it will reduce the pain in the epigastrium; Drinking chamomile tea, mint tea: Relaxes smooth muscles in the stomach and esophagus, helps to repel pain and improves gastroesophageal reflux disease.

2.2 Severe epigastric pain due to serious diseases If symptoms of epigastric pain are present at night, the pain gradually increases, accompanied by fever, shortness of breath, sudden weight loss, nausea or vomiting, abdominal cramps, jaundice , yellow eyes, vomiting blood, blood in the stool, pain in pregnancy, .... the patient should quickly go to the hospital. Because if epigastric pain is a symptom of stomach cancer, liver abscess, acute pancreatitis, ... it will be very dangerous if not treated early.
For each disease, the doctor will recommend a different treatment regimen. During treatment, patients need to strictly follow the doctor's instructions to help the disease heal quickly. Patients also need to pay attention not to arbitrarily use drugs of unknown origin, not indicated, ... to avoid unpredictable consequences.

Keep psychologically comfortable, work and rest reasonably; Build a scientific and healthy diet, drink lots of water, add to the meal a lot of green vegetables, fresh fruits to neutralize gastric juice and limit excessive acid secretion; Limit greasy foods, canned foods, sour foods, hot spicy spices; Do not use alcohol, tobacco, stimulants; Exercise daily, eat and sleep on time, get enough sleep (6 - 8 hours/day for adults) to help the digestive system work better, avoiding the risk of many health problems; Epigastric pain at night is not only a sign of common gastrointestinal diseases but also a warning symptom of many dangerous diseases. Therefore, if the patient has frequent epigastric pain, the patient should go to the doctor early to determine the exact cause of the disease, take timely treatment measures, avoid long-term disease will be worse, more difficult to treat.