Abdomen Pain Symptoms That Hint at Other Disorders
The abdomen forms the part of the body also called the torso. Usually, the whole of the belly region is called the abdomen. It is one of the most vital parts of the body (other than the skull). It holds in it the whole digestive system and therefore holds the organs responsible for the proper functioning of the human body. This article is aimed at providing a short guide to the most common abdomen pain symptoms.
The abdomen consists of the small intestine, large intestine, stomach, cecum, appendix, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys. Not only is the abdomen vital for digestion but is also important for various other activities such as breathing, childbirth, urination, defecation, coughing, etc.
Due to the existence of so many organs and due to the various functions that the abdomen performs, it is susceptible to various issues of which the most common one is abdominal pain. There are innumerable reasons for abdomen pain. As all the organs are tightly packed in the abdomen. it becomes difficult to figure out the reasons for abdominal pain.
There are various diagnostic procedures that are performed to determine the type of abdominal disorder that the abdomen pain symptoms are pointing towards.
The diagnostic procedures are as follows and are to be performed in this order:
- Gathering history: involves studying the medical state of the person before they are admitted.
- Performance of physical examination: the concerned doctor examines the abdominal region for swelling and other symptoms that are evident.
- Additional investigations that help the diagnostic process: performing a blood test, Urine test, X-Ray scanning, Electrocardiogram, etc.
- Advanced investigations: computed tomography, abdominal or pelvic ultrasound, endoscopy, colonoscopy etc.
The major cases of abdomen pain symptoms as well as stomach pain causes are portrayed by the following:
- Gastroenteritis ( about 13% of the patients come with this issue): It is the infection/inflammation of the Gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms that accompany abdominal pain are diarrhea and vomiting. This condition is also referred to as infectious diarrhea.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( about 8% of the patients come with this issue): It affects the movement of the bowel and the symptoms are just the change in the bowel movement that needs to be observed. There is no cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is accompanied by either frequent diarrhea or constipation.
- Urinary tract problem ( about 5% of the patients come with this issue): As is suggested by the name, this majorly impacts the urinary tract. It occurs when there is an inflammation or infection that is caused in the urinary tract. Accompanying symptoms tend to include fever, vomiting, nausea.
- Inflammation of the stomach (about 5% of the patients come with this issue): This is caused by a condition called Gastritis. This is characterized by upper abdominal pain accompanied by vomiting.
- Constipation (about 5% of the patients come with this issue): This is characterized and is defined as a difficulty in bowel movement. This is accompanied by severe abdominal pain, the feeling of not completely having passed the bowels and also the bloating of the stomach region.
Depending on the location of the occurrence of pain in the abdomen, the various outcomes of it are classified as follows:
Pain in the upper abdomen region includes:
- Pain in the upper middle abdomen region: This hints the possibility of occurrence of Gastritis, Pancreatitis (in case of pain in the pancreas), Stomach Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Appendicitis.
- Pain in the upper right abdomen region: This hints the possibility of occurrence of Hepatitis, Abscess, Liver Cancer, Gallstones, Worm Infection, Gas Accumulation, Inflammation, Spasm, Colon Cancer.
- Pain in the upper left abdomen region: This hints the possibility of occurrence of Splenomegaly, Bowel Obstruction, Inflammation, Spasm, Colon Cancer, Functional Disorders.
- Pain in the middle abdomen region: This hints the possibility of occurrence of Appendicitis, Inflammation, Functional Disorders, Intestinal spasm.
Pain in lower abdomen region includes:
- Pain in the lower abdomen region: This hints the possibility of occurrence of Diarrhea, Dysentery, Colitis.
- Pain in the lower right abdomen region: This hints the possibility of occurrence of Intussusception, Appendicitis, Bowel obstruction.
- Pain in the lower left abdomen region: This hints the possibility of occurrence of Diverticulitis, Obstruction, Gas accumulation, Sigmoid Colon Volvulus.
As observed from above, it is quite evident that the abdominal pain has various contributing factors that extensively affect the functioning of the body because of the very fact that the digestive system is present as a part of the abdominal region. Enough care needs to be taken to protect any infection or ailments that might affect this region and its functioning. And, enough knowledge needs to be imbibed in order to protect the well-being of all. This includes following proper hygiene in the form of eating habits and also proper sanitary hygiene which goes a long way in curtailing these ailments.