Why Do I Feel Uncomfortable When My Stomach Is Empty?

An empty stomach may be caused by hunger, or it may be related to diseases such as duodenal ulcers and gastritis.

1. Hunger: Hunger-induced emptiness in the stomach can be divided into two situations. One is that a low food intake leads to no food in the stomach, causing hunger, such as dieting or skipping main meals. The other is that food is digested too quickly. Liquid foods such as porridge and rice soup are easily digested. Consuming these foods alone without vegetables and fruits can easily lead to hunger.

2. Duodenal Ulcers: Duodenal ulcers refer to local inflammatory defects in the duodenal mucosa caused by the attack of digestive fluids such as gastric acid and pepsin. Ulcers mainly occur in the duodenal bulb, with periodic upper abdominal pain as the main clinical symptom, which can manifest as discomfort when the stomach is empty.

3. Gastritis: Gastritis usually refers to inflammatory lesions of the gastric mucosa caused by various reasons. When the gastric mucosa is stimulated, it may cause symptoms such as pain, nausea, and vomiting. When the stomach is empty, stimuli such as gastric acid can cause discomfort.