Abdomen pain
Abdomen pain or abdominal pain is pain and discomfort that occurs in your abdomen. It is commonly known as stomach pain or a stomach ache. It is caused by inflammation, stretching or distention of an organ, or loss of the supply of blood to an organ. Everyone experiences abdominal pain from time to time. Abdominal pain can be mild or severe, and it may be continuous or come and go. Abdominal pain can be caused by number of factors such as indigestion, constipation, menstrual cramps, food poisoning, hernia, appendicitis, kidney stones, gallstones, urinary tract infection etc.
there are so many potential causes of abdominal pain, therefore your doctor will perform a thorough physical examination, discuss with you the type of symptoms you are experiencing, and ask you several related questions such as:
- What type of pain are you experiencing?
- When does the pain occur?
- How long have you had this pain?
- Does the pain also radiate to your lower back, shoulder, groin, or buttocks?
After initial evaluation, your doctor may have you undergo some tests which include blood or urine tests, barium swallows or enemas, an endoscopy, x-ray, or ultrasound.
Types of abdominal pain
- Acute inflammatory pain – It includes pain due to appendicitis, pylonephritis, infection of kidney, bladder infection
- Recurrent and adolescent pain – It is most common in children and adolescents. It is mostly due to irritable bowel syndrome
- Obstruction pain – It includes kidney stones, urinary retention, small and large bowel obstruction, hernia and fecal impaction.
- Endocrine pain – It is a pain during pregnancy due to ruptured ectopic pregnancy, menstruation cramps. It should not be neglected and an immediate consultation of a physician should be required.
- Referred pain – This type of pain is seen due to disorders in other organs, surrounding your stomach, like pneumonia or ischemic heart disease.
Treating abdominal pain depends on its cause. A person with severe abdominal pain caused by a diseased organ inside the abdomen, such as appendicitis or gallstones, may require urgent surgery. Bowel obstruction sometimes requires surgery, depending on what is causing the obstruction. If the patient’s pain comes from a ruptured or perforated organ, such as the bowel or stomach, they will need immediate surgery and will be taken directly to an operating room. Treatment for pain includes:
- Acupuncture
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as Ibuprofen,Naproxen,
- Narcotic pain medications
- Antibiotics for infections
- Homeopathy
- Relaxation
