Digestive Symptoms
Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain is discomfort or pain that occurs in your abdomen, also known as tummy, stomach, gut or belly pain. Everyone experiences it occasionally. It may come on suddenly and severely, or be long-standing and mild, and its causes range from harmless conditions that need no more than reassurance to serious ones that need urgent care.
What is abdominal pain?
Pain is an unpleasant sensation that causes discomfort and leads a person to seek medical care. When pain occurs in the abdomen, commonly called the belly, gut or stomach, it is called abdominal pain. Everyone experiences abdominal pain at some point of time in their life.
Abdominal pain follows two broad patterns. Acute abdominal pain is sudden and usually severe, leading to an urgent consultation or admission, and sometimes to surgery. Chronic abdominal pain is long-standing and intermittent, and is usually mild in severity.
What causes abdominal pain?
Abdominal pain can be caused by a variety of conditions, and these often require extensive investigation to diagnose. Most of the time the pain corresponds to a site in the abdomen, and further investigation is then directed towards ascertaining the cause. The organ lying beneath the area where the pain is felt usually points to where the problem is, so it helps to note whether the pain is in the upper or lower portion of the abdomen, or in the left or right portion.
The cause of abdominal pain is not always easy to diagnose. Many times the character of the pain does not point towards any specific cause. Pain originating in other parts of the body can also cause abdominal pain, and this is termed referred pain.
Causes may range from serious conditions requiring urgent care to trivial, innocuous conditions requiring only reassurance.
How abdominal pain is diagnosed
Medical history is the most important diagnostic tool. The clinician may ask you specific questions to narrow down the diagnostic possibilities. Physical examination then helps further to confirm the diagnosis, with emphasis on the abdominal, rectal, pelvic and genitourinary regions.
Investigations are directed towards the probable diagnosis and may include:
- X-ray of the abdomen
- Blood tests and other laboratory tests
- Ultrasound
- CT (computed tomography) scan
- MRI
How abdominal pain is treated
Treatment depends upon the cause of the abdominal pain, which can be quite varied. Some patients require medical management along with lifestyle modification. For many conditions surgery is curative, and it may be required on an urgent basis.
What to note before your consultation
Keeping track of a few details about the pain may be helpful in reaching a diagnosis:
- Where in the abdomen the pain is felt
- What makes the pain better or worse
- Symptoms associated with the pain, such as more pain with meals and with bowel movements
Who requires urgent medical help
A patient with acute onset or severe abdominal pain requires urgent medical help. Seek emergency medical care if the pain follows trauma such as an accident or injury, or if you have pressure or pain in your chest. The physician or surgeon will start treatment on a provisional diagnosis and may advise admission.
Seek medical attention immediately if the pain is severe or is accompanied by any of these warning signs:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Bloody stools
- Swelling of the abdomen
- Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin
- Pain or tenderness when the abdomen is touched
Frequently asked
What causes abdominal pain?
The cause of abdominal pain is not always easy to diagnose. Sometimes the cause is specific to a certain area of the abdomen, such as the upper or lower portion, or the left or right portion. Pain originating in other parts of the body can also cause abdominal pain, which is called referred pain.
How is abdominal pain diagnosed?
Your doctor will review your medical history and complete a physical examination with emphasis on the abdominal, rectal, pelvic and genitourinary regions. Your doctor may also order tests such as laboratory tests, X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, ultrasound or MRI.
How is abdominal pain treated?
The treatment for abdominal pain will depend on the cause, which can be quite varied. Keeping track of the location of the pain, what makes it better or worse, and the symptoms associated with it, such as more pain with meals and with bowel movements, may be helpful in your diagnosis.
When should I seek medical advice?
Seek emergency medical care if you experience trauma such as an accident or injury, or if you have pressure or pain in your chest. Seek medical attention immediately if you have pain that is severe or is accompanied by bloody stools, nausea, yellowing of the skin, swelling of the abdomen, or if your abdomen is tender to the touch.
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