KUALA LUMPUR - A medical expert is warning Malaysians not to take persistent discomfort in the upper abdomen lightly by labelling it as 'gastric', as the misuse of the term can delay the diagnosis of serious diseases, including stomach cancer.
Sunway Medical Centre Consultant General, Upper Gastrointestinal and Bariatric Surgeon Dr Sou Jing Kim said the commonly used phrase 'gastric pain' is medically inaccurate and often leads to dangerous assumptions.
"There is no such term as gastric pain. Gastritis is a term that refers to inflammation seen under a microscope, not a diagnosis that can be made based on symptoms alone," he said in a statement.
Instead, Dr Sou said doctors differentiate between functional dyspepsia, indigestion symptoms without structural problems and organic causes such as peptic ulcers or early-stage stomach cancer.
He explained that functional discomfort symptoms include bloating, early satiety, belching or nausea, as well as unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, persistent upper abdominal pain, vomiting or anaemia, all of which require immediate medical evaluation.
He added that the prevalence of dyspepsia has been reported to be as high as 15 per cent among rural populations and 25 per cent among urban residents.
Dr Sou also said lifestyle plays a major role in increasing stomach discomfort and cancer risk, particularly the consumption of preserved or pickled foods, salted fish, charred or grilled (barbecue) meat and overly processed foods, while smoking and alcohol further strain the stomach lining.