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Alternative namesStomach pain; Pain - abdomen; Belly ache; Abdominal cramps; Acute abdomen
Abdominal pain is pain that you feel anywhere between your chest and groin. This is often referred to as the stomach region or belly.
There are many organs in the abdomen. Pain in the abdomen can originate from any one of them, including:
However, the pain may originate from somewhere else -- like your chest or pelvic region. You may also have a generalized infection affecting many parts of your body, like the flu or strep throat.
The intensity of the pain does not always reflect the seriousness of the condition causing the pain. Severe abdominal pain can be from mild conditions, such as gas or the cramping of viral gastroenteritis . On the other hand, relatively mild pain or no pain may be present with life-threatening conditions, such as cancer of the colon or early appendicitis .
Many different conditions can cause abdominal pain. The key is to know when you must seek medical care right away. In many cases you can simply wait, use home care remedies, and call your doctor at a later time only if the symptoms persist.
Possible causes include:
When an inflamed organ in the abdomen ruptures or leaks fluid, you not only have excruciating pain, your abdomen will be very stiff (board-like) and you will likely have a fever. This occurs when you have peritonitis due to an infection spreading in the abdominal cavity from the ruptured organ, like the appendix. This is a medical emergency.
In infants, prolonged unexplained crying (often called "colic") may be caused by abdominal pain that may end with the passage of gas or stool. Colic is often worse in the evening. Cuddling and rocking the child may bring some relief.
Abdominal pain that occurs during menstruation may be from menstrual cramps or it may indicate a problem in a reproductive organ. This includes conditions such as endometriosis (when tissue from the uterus is displaced to somewhere else like the pelvic wall or ovaries), uterine fibroids (thick bands of muscular and fibrous tissue in the uterus), ovarian cysts , ovarian cancer (rare), or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) -- infection of the reproductive organs, usually from a sexually transmitted disease.
Abdominal pain may actually be caused by an organ in the chest, like the lungs (for example, pneumonia ) or the heart (like a heart attack). Or, it may stem from a muscle strain in the abdominal muscles.
Cancer of the colon , stomach , or pancreas are serious but uncommon causes of abdominal pain.
Other more unusual causes of abdominal pain include a type of emotional upset called somatization disorder , reflected as physical discomfort (including recurrent abdominal pain). Strep throat in children can cause abdominal pain.
For mild pains:
Call your health care provider if
Call 911 if you:
Call your doctor if you have:
From your medical history and physical examination, your doctor will try to determine the cause of your abdominal pain. Knowing the location of pain and its time patten will help, as will the presence of other symptoms like fever, fatigue, general ill feeling, nausea, vomiting, or changes in stool.
During the physical examination, the doctor will test to see if the pain is localized to a single area ( point tenderness ) or whether it is diffuse. He or she will be checking to see if the pain is related to inflammation of the peritoneum (called peritonitis). If the health care provider finds evidence of peritonitis, the abdominal pain may be classified as an "acute abdomen", which may require surgery right away.
Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:
For prevention of many types of abdominal pain:
For prevention of symptoms from heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease:
Update Date: 9/4/2003Jacqueline A. Hart, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Boston, Ma., and Senior Medical Editor, A.D.A.M., Inc. Previously reviewed by Andrew J. Muir, MD MHS, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network (1/31/2002).
Last updated: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:20:03 GMT