Abdominal sounds

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Most of the sounds you hear your stomach and intestines make are due to normal digestion and are no need for concern. Many conditions may cause hyperactive or hypoactive bowel sounds. Most are harmless and require no treatment.

The following are a list of more serious conditions that can cause abnormal bowel sounds.

Hyperactive, hypoactive, or absent bowel sounds:

• Mechanical bowel obstruction is caused by hernia, tumor, adhesions, or similar conditions that can physically block the intestines.
• Blocked blood vessels prevent the intestines from getting proper blood flow. For example, blood clots can cause mesenteric artery occlusion.
• Paralytic ileus is a problem with the nerves to the intestines. Reduced nerve activity can result from infection, overdistended bowel, trauma, bowel obstruction, vascular obstruction, and chemical imbalances such as hypokalemia .

Other causes of hypoactive bowel sounds:

• Drugs that reduce intestinal movements such as opiates (including codeine), anticholinergics, and phenothiazines
• General anesthesia
• Spinal anesthesia
• Irradiation of the abdomen (radiation therapy for cancer)
• Surgery in the abdomen (may cause reduced bowel sounds for 1 to 5 days)

Other causes of hyperactive bowel sounds:

• Diarrhea
• Crohn's disease
• GI bleeding
• Ulcerative colitis
• Food allergy
• Infectious enteritis

Review Date: 03/02/2006
Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.