Abdominal pain (stomach ache)
What is abdominal pain?
Causes of abdominal pain
Acute (severe) abdominal pain
Prevention / remedies / treatment for abdominal pain
What is abdominal pain?
Abdominal pain / stomach ache is a common problem. Usually the cause is not serious - a symptom of a temporary, minor disorder which will quickly go away on its own.
There are so many possible causes of abdominal pain that its diagnosis can be difficult. Severe, persistent abdominal pain, especially with a sudden onset, can be caused by serious disease and warrants urgent diagnosis.
Abdominal pain is traditionally described by its progression over time, its severity(acute or chronic), its nature (dull, sharp, colicky), its location (left upper quadrant, left lower quadrant, right upper quadrant, right lower quadrant) or more specific location if possible, and by the factors that make it worse or alleviate it (foods, drink, warmth, movement, stress, exercise etc).
Causes of abdominal pain
Digestive. Most abdominal pain originates in the gastro-intestinal tract. It is often caused by over-eating, eating junk or processed food, eating hard-to-digest food, or eating while stressed. A sensible diet which will prevent abdominal pain in the long term is outlined here: Grow Youthful diet.
IBS is the most common cause of recurrent, intermittent abdominal pain. Food intolerance / malabsorption and food allergies are also common. Those suffering from these ailments need to change their diet to recover and heal.
Sliding hiatus hernia syndrome. About 60% of people aged 50 or older have a hiatal hernia, and more than 90% of them show no consistent symptoms. A sliding hiatus hernia may be the cause of a variety of ailments that can come and go.
Acute (severe) abdominal pain
If you have an acute (severe) abdominal pain that comes on suddenly, it may need urgent treatment. The pain may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, abdominal distention, fever and signs of shock such as low blood pressure or rapid heartbeat.
Causes of severe abdominal pain include injury/trauma, inflammation, infection, rupture, blockage or tumors.
- Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain.
- Food poisoning may be attributed to a specific meal, and others may also have the same symptoms. Severe cases need medical attention, milder cases require rest, plenty of water, and bland non-fatty food like white rice. Sour yogurt also helps.
- Digestive tract: perforation of a peptic ulcer, an obstruction in the colon, or the blockage of a blood vessel around the digestive tract.
- Digestive glands: inflammation of the liver, gallbladder or pancreas, or blockage / stones in liver or gallbladder.
- Kidneys - inflammation, blockage / stones, vascular (blood vessel) blockage, bladder infection.
- Gynaecological causes: pelvic inflammatory diseases, blockage of the ovaries, menstrual problems, endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cyst, ovarian cancer.
- Abdominal wall - strain or trauma causing a hernia.
- Referred pain. The pain can come from outside the abdominal area, such as a heart attack, or from the spine, thorax or genitals.
Prevention / remedies / treatment for abdominal pain
- First, you need to identify the cause of the pain. Did it start with a particular type of food, meal or infected food, injury or situation? Where exactly is it, how long has it been there, what makes it better or worse, and what other symptoms are there? Most abdominal pains are not usually too serious and will go away on their own.
- If the pain is acute, or it is not getting better after hours or days, get medical help.