Aerophagia (var. aerophagy) is a condition that occurs when a person swallows too much air, which goes to the stomach. It causes abdominal bloating and frequent belching and may cause pain.

Causes

Aerophagia is associated with chewing gum, smoking, drinking carbonated drinks, eating too fast, CPAP air pressure (if it's too high) and wearing loose dentures. In people with cervical spinal blockages, inhaling can cause air to enter the esophagus and stomach.^[1]

Aerophagia is diagnosed in 8.8% of cognitively delayed patients^[2] where the coordination between swallowing and respiration is not well defined.^[3] In one case, aerophagia was successfully treated with thorazine, an antipsychotic sometimes used to treat hiccups.^[4]

Aerophagia is a dangerous side effect of noninvasive ventilation (NIV), commonly used in treatments of respiratory problems and cardiovascular critical care or in surgery when a general anaesthetic is required. In the case of aerophagia during NIV, it is normally diagnosed by experienced medical specialists who check on patients intermittently during NIV use. The diagnosis is based on the sound heard by listening through a stethoscope placed outside the abdominal cavity. Using this approach, the problem is sometimes detected later than when it develops, possibly also later than necessary. Belated detection of aerophagia may lead to gastric distension, which in turn could inflate the diaphragm or cause aspiration of the stomach contents into the lungs^[5] or pneumatic rupture of the oesophagus due to extreme gastric insufflation.^[6]

Aerophagia may also refer to an unusual condition where the primary symptom is excessive flatus, belching is not present, and the actual mechanism by which air enters the gut is obscure.^[7]

References

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