Alternative Names: Early satiety

Considerations:

Early satiety can occur from numerous causes.

Common Causes:

• Delayed stomach emptying
• Gastric outlet obstruction
• Decreased stomach distensibility
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Dyspepsia

Home Care:

Follow your health care provider's recommendations. A liquid diet may be helpful. A detailed diet log (recording what was eaten, how much, and when) may be needed. Small, frequent meals may be more tolerable than large, less frequent meals. A diet high in fat may worsen the feeling.

Call your health care provider if:

• The feeling lasts for days to weeks and does not get better.
• There are associated symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, or bloating.
• There is fever, chills, or weight loss or gain.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

The doctor will examine you and ask questions such as:

• Time pattern
  • When did this symptom begin?
  • How long does each episode last?
• Associated symptoms
  • Is there vomiting?
  • Is there abdominal distention?
  • Is there excessive gas (flatus)?
  • Is there a lack of appetite?
  • Is there abdominal pain?
  • Has the patient gained or lost weight?
  • Is there fever or chills?

The physical examination will include emphasis on the digestive tract.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

• Blood studies for anemia, such as a CBC and blood differential
• Endoscopy (EGD)
• Stool tests for bleeding
• X-rays studies of the stomach, esophagus, and small intestine (abdominal x-ray and an upper GI and small bowel series)
• Stomach-emptying studies

After seeing your health care provider:

You may want to add a diagnosis related to early satiety to your personal medical record.