Diseases from the field of gastroenterology are one of the most common causes of severe pains in the abdomen, but the classification of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract is so branched that this symptom alone is not enough to determine the disease. Often such a regularly observed factor as an “acute abdomen” hides not one, but several serious pathologies of the digestive and genitourinary systems, which only medical specialists can detect.
Definition of pain by signs
If the nature and frequency of strong pains in the abdomen are alarming, then you should make an appointment with a therapist, but before visiting the office you need to understand your pain in order to be able to correctly describe them when compiling an anamnesis.
Systematization of pain is carried out in three directions: by their localization, by the time of occurrence and by the intensity of attacks.
Determination of the nature of pain by its localization:
- vague, blurred coverage of pain throughout the epigastric region with or without the capture of the hypochondrium may indicate the presence of a stomach ulcer or the formation of a malignant one on ittumors;
- point pains right under the ribs - a sign of hepatitis or incipient cirrhosis;
- concentrated cramps under the extreme right rib - a clinical picture of appendicitis;
- thrill in the epigastric region will tell about a possibly formed ulcer or duodenitis;
- tingling and cramping under the sternum will indicate the likelihood of cholecystitis;
- resi in the side of the abdomen or along the line of the intestines often indicate the presence of helminthic invasions or food poisoning.
Recurring epigastric pain tends to be tied to the same time period with respect to food intake. This trend should also be calculated and recorded in the symptom description:
- the acute form of the disease includes severe abdominal cramps that occur right during or immediately after eating;
- pain that occurs soon (no more than an hour) after eating is considered an early type;
- delayed, late pains are those that appear about 4-5 hours after eating and precede the next, regular meal;
- Hunger cramps often occur during poorly rationalized diets or 6 or more hours after the last meal.
When diagnosing, it is very important to correctly describe the intensity of pain. Resi can be characterized in such clarifying expressions as:
- unclear location, spilled;
- weak, unpleasant, tingling;
- medium strength with noticeable soreness;
- strong, rapidly growing cramps,exceeding the pain threshold at the critical point.
The presented types of painful symptoms are unstable and can even change each other during one attack both in terms of increasing negative sensations and decreasing them.
Pain caused by gastritis
According to statistics, the most common cause of pain in the abdomen is the usual gastritis, which occurs in a latent form or manifests itself actively. The main provoking factors of the disease are irregular and malnutrition, saturated with fats and light carbohydrates, alcohol abuse, and stress. In recent years, cases of the disease have become more frequent among women who haphazardly practice trendy diets for weight loss.
Signs of gastritis:
- resi in the epigastric region of the abdomen;
- heartburn followed by sour belching;
- Feeling of heaviness after being full.
When ignoring the symptoms of acute gastritis, the disease quickly takes the form of a chronic one. Drug treatment of pain in the abdomen is carried out against the background of a strict diet that excludes fatty, smoked, spicy dishes, any sausages and canned food.
Peptic ulcer
In the early stages of the disease, a stomach ulcer can be confused with other gastroenterological pathologies, but the disease progresses very quickly, acquiring specific symptoms:
- bloating, cramps in the abdomen (at the top);
- nausea, heartburn;
- feeling of heaviness in the stomach even after takinga small amount of food;
- drastic weight loss;
- problems with bowel movements.
The main symptom of peptic ulcer disease is obsessive and almost constantly present pain in the epigastrium. At first, unpleasant sensations appear only after eating aggressive foods, such as smoked meats or pickles, but then a person begins to suffer from cramps after each meal without exception. Abdominal cramps due to ulcers are almost twice as common in men as in women.
The disease is characterized by a relapsing course with long periods of remission, during which there is the formation of a single or multiple ulcers affecting the deep layers of the affected organ. Even after serious treatment, traces of healed ulcers remain in the form of scars.
Treatment of stomach ulcers involves taking antibiotics, gastroprotectors, as well as drugs that block the mechanism of secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. During therapy, a strict diet is required, which will vary depending on the stage and intensity of the disease.
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis occurs in humans due to the development of existing diseases of the digestive tract or as an independent pathology under the influence of disposing factors. Disease provocateurs can be:
- alcohol abuse;
- unauthorized use of strong drugs;
- past infectious or viral diseases;
- food or chemical poisoning.
Rezi in the stomach on the backgroundA developing disease torments the patient constantly, and the localization of pain can shift or blur to the feeling that the whole organ hurts. When pain is concentrated in the pit of the stomach, the pain radiates to the back.
The disease is accompanied by other symptoms:
- rapid weight loss occurs;
- frequent nausea without vomiting;
- bloating;
- passing watery gray feces with a pungent odor;
- general weakness, apathy.
Pancreatitis cramps in the abdomen during pregnancy are most pronounced. If acute symptoms are ignored for a long time, neurological changes occur in a person: memory impairment, loss of concentration. One common complication of untreated pancreatitis can be diabetes mellitus.
The treatment of pancreatitis takes a long period of time and involves the constant use of analgesics, antibacterial drugs and the adoption of special measures to remove toxins from the body.
Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis in most cases is a consequence of blockage of the bile ducts by moving stones, so it can be called the most common complication of gallstone disease. What can cause abdominal pain with cholecystitis? Overeating, an abundance of fatty and hard-to-digest food on the daily table, drinking alcohol without measure - all these factors favor the development of the pathological condition of the digestive tract and provoke an exacerbation of the disease.
At home,disease is defined by a combination of the following symptoms:
- metallic taste on tongue;
- Stably high temperature within 39°;
- tachycardia;
- painful belching;
- yellowing of the skin (not in all cases);
- severe nausea and less often vomiting.
The defining symptom is cutting pains in the right side of the abdomen, which appear at the time of bending, turning or simply with a sharp movement. At the moment of exacerbation of cholecystitis, pain radiates to the shoulder or upper back.
Treatment of the disease in the acute phase takes place in the hospital. Against the background of antibiotics and choleretic drugs that form the basis of therapy, the patient is prescribed symptomatic drugs that reduce the level of excitability, suppress vomiting and pain.
Follicular ovarian cyst
In women, cramps in the abdomen (below the navel) characterize a common gynecological disease - an ovarian cyst. The formation of small formations may go unnoticed and not affect the woman's well-being, but large cysts or collected in large clusters will manifest severe symptoms:
- cutting pains radiating to the left side;
- violation of the monthly cycle, as well as a change in the nature of bleeding (may be more abundant or poorer than usual);
- drawing pains in the lower abdomen during menstruation;
- in some cases - nausea, dizziness, vomiting;
- general weakness, mood swings.
From what can the stomach hurt with cystic formation? The “life” of a follicular cyst is normally no more than 3 menstrual cycles, and if after this period the neoplasm does not disappear, then complications are possible in the form of rupture of the follicle or torsion of the cyst leg. These factors are the main cause of acute pain, the relief of which is almost impossible with home methods.
Hormonal therapy and antibiotics are used to treat pathological cysts. In emergency cases, for example, when the pedicle of a cyst of the 2nd degree is torn, an operation is performed to remove the damaged organ.
Presence of parasitic forms
Adults are more likely to face the problem of an acute abdomen, but children also experience inexplicable at first glance cramps in the abdomen. What to do if a child complains of strange pains in the epigastric region? First of all, parents need to remember if the following symptoms preceded the onset of pain in a child:
- nausea, excessive salivation;
- bad breath;
- whims and fatigue;
- digestion problems;
- drastic weight loss.
Children infected with helminthic infestations get sick more often than their peers, study worse and have signs of constant nervous excitability. All of these symptoms make up the clinical picture of helminthiasis, which cannot be considered confirmed until laboratory tests show a positive result.
Home treatment with herbs and various preparationsfrom a series of dietary supplements does not save from parasites, although it can contribute to their partial elimination with feces. Only a specialist parasitologist, having on hand the results of tests indicating the type of helminths detected, is able to assess the situation and prescribe treatment to completely remove invasions from the patient's body.
Acute appendicitis
Inflammation of the appendix - a appendix located at the very bottom of the caecum - occupies a leading position among gastroenterological diseases requiring mandatory surgical intervention. Among the main causes of pathology, doctors call the blockage of the lumen of the appendix by foreign objects that have entered the body with food or solid feces.
As a result of the formation of an impassable plug at the outlet of the appendix, the outflow of the mucous contents of the appendix stops, and the hollow organ begins to swell, making it difficult for blood to circulate in the thickening walls. If measures are not taken within the first 6 hours after the onset of an acute condition, then there is a danger of a violation of the integrity of the process and the outpouring of a putrefactive substance into the abdominal cavity.
Symptoms to identify inflammation:
- sharp throbbing pains around the navel and in the upper part of the epigastrium, which gradually shift to the lower right quarter of the abdomen;
- limitation of movement - the patient tries to take a supine position in such a way that the painful area of \u200b\u200bthe abdomen is squeezed;
- usually, with appendicitis, the stomach hurts without fever, vomiting and diarrhea, but in children under 12 years old it is often possibleobserve all three signs at the same time.
An indicator of the increased danger of the condition is considered to be a sharp cessation of pain symptoms: a person can calmly get up and move around without the slightest sign of discomfort. Such a lull directly indicates the beginning of a necrotic process in the tissues of the appendix, which will soon turn into peritonitis - the most complex intoxication of the abdominal cavity.
As in the case of an acute condition, and in fact of complications, the diagnosis of appendicitis is an indication for urgent surgical intervention and removal of the appendix.
Other causes of stomach cramps
Rezi in the abdomen, accompanied by indigestion or nausea, is also one of the indicators of a person's nervous state. If the life of an individual passes in stressful situations, he constantly feels depressed or fearful, the pains can take on a periodic character, intensifying in the late afternoon. In the early stages of a neurological disease, diagnostics do not reveal a pathological change in the abdominal organs, but if stressful circumstances are not eliminated, then subsequently, gastritis or even stomach ulcers may develop against their background.
Another cause of pain may be hidden in the use of allergenic food by a person, to which he has a reaction in the form of bloating, pain and severe gas formation. It can be milk, some fruits, offal and sweets. Often a similar reaction can be observed after a feast with an abundance of fatty foods or even after eatingregular meals that the body has weaned off during a strict diet.
Emergency action for severe abdominal cramps
If severe cutting pains occur, the etiology of which has not been clarified before, a person needs to call an ambulance, and before her arrival try to alleviate his condition:
- comfortably lie on your back;
- put a bottle of cold water on your stomach or a bag of frozen food from the refrigerator;
- recommended for severe cramps to drink half a glass of cool water in small sips.
If the pain is difficult to endure, it is allowed to take one No-shpy pill, but this can be done as a last resort. It is advisable to avoid taking this and any other drugs in order to avoid distorting the clinical picture of the disease.
