INDIGESTION

also called dyspepsia any or all of the unpleasant feelings and manifestationsabdominal discomfort, belching, flatulence, aversion to eating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, heartburnthat sufferers associate with the malfunctioning of their digestive apparatus. The causes are as varied as the symptoms: organic disease outside the digestive tracte.g., anemia, pulmonary tuberculosis, heart failure, urinary tract infections; organic disease within the digestive tracte.g., pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, cancer of the stomach, chronic appendicitis; or functional disorders e.g., psychogenic indigestion (indigestion associated with worry or fear, for example) or indigestion due to improper eating habits, excessive smoking, drinking excessive quantities of coffee or alcohol, or hypersensitivity to particular foods.