Abdominal pain in adults
Abdominal pain refers to any discomfort felt from below your ribcage to your pelvis and beyond, often known by its shorthand name “tummy ache or stomach discomfort”. Your abdomen contains numerous organs including your liver, stomach, pancreas, small and large bowels as well as reproductive organs; blood vessels can also be found there. Appendicitis and pregnancy-related issues are the two primary sources of abdominal pain; however most abdominal complaints don’t require surgical interventions and eventually go away by themselves; most often people just require relief of their discomfort while sometimes pain in their abdomen never leaves until its cause remains apparent over time or worsens over time. Drcure.com understands how vital health care can be to our lives, but sometimes navigating it can be daunting. With this in mind, they strive to create an easy-to-use platform so that users can quickly locate information they require – whether its Abdominal Pain guidance from us, treatment options research or advice on leading an active lifestyle we have you covered!
When to see a doctor about abdominal pain
If you experience one or more of the following symptoms, seek medical help immediately by consulting either your primary physician or visiting the closest emergency department at a hospital:
- severe pain
- pain lasting for several hours
- pain or vaginal bleeding if you are pregnant
- pain in your scrotum if you are a male
- pain and vomiting or shortness of breath
- pain and vomiting blood
- blood in your bowel motions or urine
- pain that spreads to your chest, neck or shoulder
- fever and sweats
- become pale and clammy
- unable to pass urine
- unable to move your bowels or pass gas
- any other concerns.
Causes of abdominal pain in adults
There can be numerous causes for abdominal discomfort. Concerns include gallstones, appendicitis infections, ulcers and pregnancy-related issues as well as various illnesses – with doctors often raising such alarms themselves. Abdominal pain might not directly come from within your abdomen either – such as pneumonia and heart attacks as well as conditions affecting groin or pelvis muscles like shingles as well as issues arising due to stomach muscle injuries or illnesses like an injury gerd treatment can all play a part. It might even coincide with urinary tract issues or problems during bowel movements or during periods when discomfort exists in conjunction with issues arising in between periods – doctors take notice and act accordingly.
Due to all the organs and structures located within your abdomen, it can be challenging for a physician to pinpoint the source of your discomfort. They will ask many questions and perform careful examination of your body but are unlikely to perform additional tests unless their initial efforts fail in pinpointing its source; alternatively they could not identify its cause but the pain gradually subsides over days or hours; in which case, surgery or hospitalization might be recommended by their physician.
Diagnosis of abdominal pain in adults
Healthcare professionals may ask various questions in order to accurately diagnose abdominal pain:
Where is the pain?
Health professionals and doctors will first ask you where the discomfort lies. Pain that radiates towards the right shoulder or back may indicate gallstone pain; for kidney stones it usually affects either side of your abdomen, with flu symptoms more likely emanating from one than from the other – often radiating upwards to one shoulder or the opposite side – than radiating towards any shoulder or back.
When did the pain start?
Abdominal pain can be classified as acute when lasting less than two days, persistent when lasting two days or more and chronic when lasting over two weeks.
How severe is the pain?
Healthcare professionals usually ask patients to rate or score their pain on a scale of 1-10. Mild pain might be graded 3-4; noticeable and uncomfortable but not enough to impact daily routine, while severe pain (e.g. childbirth pains) prevent you from performing other activities (i.e. childbirth pain). Pain from kidney stones or gallstones tends to be severe as well.
Does the pain come and go?
Abdominal pain that comes and goes in waves is known as colic and is usually caused by organ contraction such as gallbladders, bowels or urinary elimination systems. Pancreatitis, stomach ulcers or infections of these systems may also produce colic symptoms.
Have you had this pain before?
Gallstone pain and kidney ache often recur over a number of months. Menstrual cramps can also be an intense source of discomfort that could indicate endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disorder; discomfort could be the result of an ovarian folliculum as well.
What events led up to the pain?
Knowing the cause is key in diagnosing any discomfort; examples could include injuries sustained during sports or car accidents, new medications such as antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs or excessive alcohol consumption which could result in pancreatitis.
Are there associated features?
- Urine that is bloody in color and flank pain (pain between ribs) could be indicative of kidney stones. Painful fever vomiting in the middle abdomen could signal an obstruction to your bowel; severe constipation accompanied by pain on one or both sides could indicate more extensive obstruction to your digestive tract.
