American College of Gastroenterology
Advancing Gastroenterology, Improving Patient Care

Common Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms

Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms Overview

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as heartburn, indigestion or dyspepsia, bloating, and constipation are common. However, these symptoms may be misinterpreted and their impact and significance misunderstood both by healthcare providers and patients alike.

The ACG has created this special resource section that features the College’s wealth of scientifically-based education material and information, the latest related research from The American Journal of Gastroenterology, and expert insight to help patients understand common GI symptoms and how these symptoms should be appropriately and effectively managed.

Check out these essential digestive health tips here for expert guidance and resources! Take a listen to this GastroGirl Podcast on What's Wrong With My Gut?

Explore our glossary of common GI terms here for clear and simple explanations!

Information on Common GI Conditions

Here are some common GI symptoms and what they might mean along with additional resources from the ACG:

  1. Heartburn (Acid Reflux): A burning feeling in your chest or throat. This happens when stomach acid moves up into your food pipe. Spicy foods, caffeine, and lying down too soon after eating can make it worse. To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Acid Reflux, Heartburn, GERD and Peptic Ulcer Disease.

  2. Indigestion (Upset Stomach): Term used to describe one or more symptoms including a feeling of fullness during a meal, uncomfortable fullness after a meal, and burning or pain in the upper abdomen. Indigestion is common in adults and can occur once in a while or as often as every day. To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Dyspepsia/Indigestion.

  3. Nausea and Vomiting: Nausea is the unpleasant sensation of needing to vomit. Vomiting is the forceful movement of stomach contents out through the mouth. These can happen from infections, motion sickness, or eating something that doesn’t agree with you. To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Nausea and Vomiting.

  4. Diarrhea (Loose Stools): Diarrhea takes the shape of the container, so this is often described as loose or watery. Some people consider diarrhea as an increase in the number of stools, but stool consistency is what describes diarrhea. Acute or new diarrhea is most often caused by infections such as viruses and bacteria. Chronic or longstanding diarrhea is defined as having diarrhea for more than four weeks, and can be caused by food intolerances, infections, other digestive diseases, and sometimes certain medicines. To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Diarrhea (acute and chronic).

  5. Constipation: Constipation is common, with at least 2.5 million doctor visits for constipation in the United States each year and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on laxatives yearly. Constipation is often thought of as a decrease in the number of bowel movements per day, and many people think they need to have a bowel movement every day, but this is not correct. If you have three bowel movements each week and feel well, you are healthy. Constipation also means too much straining or pushing with bowel movements, or passage of small hard stools, or a sense of not completely emptying your bowels. To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Constipation and Defecation Problems.

  6. Bloating: Gas is a topic that people often find difficult to talk about, but we all have gas in our GI tract. Gas can contribute to a sense of bloating (fullness), belching, abdominal cramps, and flatulence (gas). These symptoms are usually brief and resolve once gas is released by belching/burping or flatulence. Bloating refers to a sense of fullness in the upper abdomen which can be influenced by gas and/or food accumulation in the stomach. Some people experience this symptom even with normal amounts of gas in the stomach. To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Belching, Bloating, Flatulence.

  7. Abdominal Pain (Stomach Pain or Cramps): On a day-to-day basis, we are often unaware of the actions of the organs in the abdomen or any discomfort from activities such as eating, movement of food through the intestines, or bowel movements. Nerves or tiny wires in the body help to send messages between your brain and different parts of the body, including the stomach and intestines. When these messages are sent to the brain and come into consciousness as unpleasant sensations, we may sense pain or discomfort. To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Abdominal Pain Syndrome.

  8. Blood in Stool: Seeing red or black in your stool can be a sign of bleeding in your digestive tract. It is important to talk to a doctor or healthcare provider when this happens. To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Rectal Problems and Hemorrhoids and Other Anal Disorders.

  9. Gallbladder and Biliary Disorders: Your gallbladder is a small organ that helps your body digest fat. It stores bile, a liquid made by your liver that helps break down food. The biliary system includes the gallbladder and the tubes (called bile ducts) that carry bile to your small intestine. Conditions that affect the gallbladder and bile ducts can include gallstones, inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis), bile duct blockages, and at times inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). To learn more, explore ACG's resources on Biliary Tract Disorders, Gallbladder Disorders and Gallstone Pancreatitis, Gallstone Pancreatitis, and Gallstones in Women.

If you have any of these symptoms often or if they are severe, a GI or primary care doctor or healthcare provider can help find out what’s causing them and how to treat them. For more assistance in finding a Gastroenterologist, utilize theFind a Gastroenterologist Tool on the ACG Patient Site.

Do You Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the Most Common GI Condition?

  • IBS is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists and one of the most common disorders seen by primary care physicians. In the United States, it is estimated that 5% (or 1 in 20 people) of the adult population is affected by symptoms of IBS. Abdominal pain is the major symptom of IBS, and this condition is considered a disorder of gut-brain interaction. IBS greatly reduces patients’ quality of life. Direct medical costs of IBS are high, estimated at $1.5 billion to $10 billion.
  • Visit the IBS Health Center
  • Take the IBS Test

Common GI Problems in Women

It is important to understand how the GI tract works normally and to identify differences in men and women which may be associated with possible worsening GI problems. These differences may present with unique symptoms in women for shared diseases or even unique diagnoses in women. Visit ACG's Common Gastrointestinal (GI) Problems in Women page to learn more.

Author(s) and Publication Date(s)

Siri A. Urquhart, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN – Updated April 2025.

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ACG Clinical Guidelines

Developed by a talented group of GI experts, the College is devoted to the development of new ACG guidelines on gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Our guidelines reflect the current state-of-the-art scientific work and are based on the principles of evidence-based medicine.

ACG Clinical Guidelines