Gas and Gas Pains

Your healthcare provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms and current medications. They may ask you to keep a food diary for a few weeks or more to see if certain foods or drinks make you gassy.

Usually, this is all it takes to determine what’s causing gas pain.

What tests will be done?

If your provider suspects excess gas signals an underlying health condition, you may need one or more of these tests:

• Blood tests: These tests detect certain conditions, like celiac disease, that cause gas.
• Breath test: Special breath tests identify lactose intolerance or abnormal bacterial growth in your intestine.
• Colon screening: A flexible sigmoidoscopy lets your provider view the lower part of your colon and rectum (lower intestine). A colonoscopy allows your provider to view all of your large intestine. These tests help identify digestive disorders like Crohn’s disease and colon cancer.
• Food elimination: Your healthcare provider may suggest removing certain foods to see if gas symptoms improve. For example, if you’re less gassy after cutting out dairy, you may have lactose intolerance — which means you’re unable to break down lactose, a sugar in milk.
• Gastrointestinal (GI) tract exam: If you burp a lot, your provider may perform a gastrointestinal exam called an upper GI test or barium swallow (esophagram). You swallow a solution that coats the esophagus, stomach and part of the small intestine with barium for easier viewing on X-rays.