What can hurt in the right hypochondrium? Pain localized in this area may indicate the occurrence of an inflammatory process, as well as pathologies of the organs that are located in this area. Speaking about what can hurt in the right hypochondrium, you should pay attention to the fact that such discomfort most often indicates the presence of chronic diseases or the development of an acute infectious disease of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas or duodenum. Pain is also projected onto this area in case of damage to the small and large intestines, kidneys.
But discomfort can also be caused by other causes that only a qualified doctor can determine. After he answers the question about what can hurt in the right hypochondrium, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate therapy. We will talk more about this problem in this article.
What can hurt in the right hypochondrium: provoking factors
Painful sensations very rarely appear abruptly even in the case of a history of the disease, of which they may be a symptom. The exception willconstitute only individual cases in which inflammatory processes in the nervous, digestive or endocrine system are rapidly exacerbated. In addition, if the right hypochondrium hurts in a child or in an adult, then this may indicate an inflammatory process in the respiratory system, internal genital organs, biliary and urinary tract organs.
Unpleasant sensations, as well as tingling, which are localized under the lower ribs, in some cases are noted in patients after physical exertion, eating, sexual intercourse. In addition, such pain often occurs in case of trauma to the abdomen, chest, as well as internal bleeding.
If the right hypochondrium suddenly hurts in a child or an adult who has an inflammatory process or pathology of internal organs, pain and its nature can manifest itself as a reaction to the use of some medicines and supplements. In addition, such a symptom can be triggered by the use of certain foods. Chronic ailments make themselves felt during the off-season, in case of a breakdown, a weakened immune system, prolonged emotional and physical overwork, hormonal changes and other conditions.
The main preventive measure to avoid pain in the right hypochondrium is, as in the case of other ailments, in the timely detection of even the slightest discomfort when contacting a specialist. If there are chronic inflammatory processes and pathologies, you must follow the recommendations of your doctor regarding the diet and diet,the permitted duration and nature of physical exercise, the use of medications.
Most often, the cause of exacerbation of painful sensations of varying strength, which are localized mainly in the right hypochondrium, is the neglect of the recommendations of a specialist for certain ailments. Below you can find information about why the right hypochondrium hurts in a man and a woman. However, first you need to deal with the localization of this discomfort.
Pain localization
The discomfort that appears in the right hypochondrium may indicate a significant number of a wide variety of ailments. Even an experienced qualified specialist is not always able to make an accurate diagnosis only on this symptom. This area is located under the two ribs on the right side of the trunk, while the pain can be localized in front or behind.
It is possible to significantly reduce the range of diseases that are accompanied by this symptom by determining the nature and specific localization of painful sensations. For example, the patient must say exactly where he has pain under the ribs on the right: from the back, from the side, from the front. To establish the diagnosis, additional studies, laboratory tests, external examination and oral questioning of the patient during admission are used. In addition, the attending physician should review the patient's medical history.
For example, if there is discomfort in the front part on the side of the body, then this may indicate liver pathology, gallbladder disease, sometimesmyocardial infarction, bowel disease, which are accompanied by flatulence, as well as other conditions. If it hurts on the right under the ribs from behind from the back, then most often this indicates urolithiasis, acute infectious inflammation of the right kidney, osteochondrosis, adrenal ailments, pathologies in the inferior vena cava or intercostal nerves. Often, back discomfort is felt due to various mechanical damage: cracked ribs, fracture.
Character of pain
So, if it hurts on the right under the ribs on the side, in front or behind, then this may indicate a variety of diseases. When diagnosing, it is also important to pay attention to the nature of painful sensations. If it hurts on the right under the ribs on the side, then this symptom may have a different character. Unpleasant aching sensations are characteristic in most cases of chronic diseases, and dull throbbing pain is felt in case of disorders of the kidneys and stomach, with cholecystitis, osteochondrosis, injuries and damage to the ribs, mild forms of colitis and tumors.
Intolerable acute pain in the right abdomen under the ribs may occur as a result of a serious injury. Quite often, such discomfort, which is also accompanied by vomiting, low blood pressure, fainting and pre-syncope, provokes a pain shock. This condition requires urgent medical attention, sometimes even surgery is required. Otherwise, ignoring the symptom can even lead to death. Acute pain in the abdomen in medical practice is called "acutebelly".
Sometimes stabbing pains and sharp pains, which are accompanied by vomiting, may be a manifestation of the so-called pseudo-abdominal syndrome, which is characteristic of an acute form of gastritis, pneumonia, myocardial infarction, pyelonephritis. Such conditions do not require surgical intervention, and they can be treated in the traditional way.
If you feel heaviness under the ribs, then this indicates an edematous state of the liver, some forms of heart failure, chronic cholecystitis, hepatitis, pathology of the biliary tract. Most often, the cause of heaviness, which is localized in the right hypochondrium, is a gastroenterological disease.
Other related symptoms
Pain in the right hypochondrium is very rarely manifested as an independent symptom. In most cases, this discomfort is accompanied by other concomitant signs of diseases of the endocrine, respiratory and nervous systems, gastrointestinal tract, as well as various inflammatory processes. Additional symptoms may include:
- Vomiting and nausea.
- Symptoms of intoxication in the body: sweating, high fever, loss of energy.
- Digestive system disorder: bloating, diarrhea.
- Fatigue, drowsiness, weakness.
- Increase or decrease in blood pressure.
- Pain in the area of the heart.
- Impaired consciousness.
- Fainness and dizziness.
- Bleeding of mucous membranes.
- Tachycardia.
- Difficulty in timeurination, itching and cramps.
- Redness of the skin in the area of the ribs, the formation of rashes.
- Vaginal discharge in women.
- Respiratory spasm, severe cough, as well as many other symptoms depending on the specifics of a particular disease.
Very often, the accompanying symptoms in a patient are the only way to identify a specific pathology that provokes pain of a different nature, which is localized in the right hypochondrium. Thanks to such additional manifestations, a specialist can find out which particular system or internal organ is affected by the disease, after which appropriate therapy is prescribed.
Why does the right side of the hypochondrium hurt?
Pain that is localized in this area can indicate many pathologies, mean an exacerbation of a chronic disease, an emergency. In some cases, a similar symptom appears during remission due to the negative impact of individual provoking factors.
In most cases, when discomfort occurs on the right side of the ribs, several or one pathology is diagnosed. The most common causes of such painful sensations of a different nature are injuries, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the pathological condition of the bile ducts and gallbladder, and inflammation of the genitourinary system. The accompanying symptoms of pain are varied, discomfort can even indicate cardiac pathology, diseases of the respiratory system, minor injuries.spine. However, this condition will rarely be diagnosed.
Cholecystitis
If bitterness is felt in the mouth, the right hypochondrium hurts, then this may indicate a disease such as cholecystitis. This ailment is an inflammatory process affecting the bladder, which can develop in a chronic or acute form. Discomfort with cholecystitis can have a strong cramping or aching character. There are painful sensations due to spasms in the bladder. If it hurts in the region of the right hypochondrium with cholecystitis, then the pain often radiates to the region of the lower back, shoulder and scapula. The back and sides begin to ache, in addition, discomfort often appears in the patient after the next meal. In some cases, the patient may experience such severe discomfort that due to the pain shock, the patient may even lose consciousness.
In addition to bitterness, in the chronic stage of the disease, the stomach swells, belching appears, and stool disorder. At the same time, the patient's sleep is disturbed, irritability, symptoms of intoxication of the body appear. Therefore, if you are wondering why the right hypochondrium hurts at night, then this may indicate the development of cholecystitis. During an exacerbation, the patient begins to experience colic, and the pain increases during inhalation, belching, or some time after eating. These attacks can last for several hours.
To stop such symptoms, specialists prescribe antispasmodics to patients. In addition, the patient in thiscase, bed rest is indicated. To cure cholecystitis, you must follow a special diet, take antibiotics, go to physiotherapy, take mineral waters. In some cases, surgery is required to remove the gallbladder or gallstones.
Therefore, if your right shoulder blade and hypochondrium hurt, and this symptom is accompanied by bitterness in the mouth, bloating, and other symptoms described above, be sure to seek help from the clinic to prevent complications.
Cholelithiasis
Very often, the right hypochondrium hurts with the development of gallstone disease, that is, the formation of stones in the gallbladder due to a violation of metabolic processes or the function of organs from the biliary system. In addition, cholelithiasis can act as a complication of other ailments, such as chronic cholecystitis, endocrine disorders, or improper functioning of the biliary tract and liver. If the right hypochondrium hurts lying down, then this may indicate the development of gallstone disease, especially if these symptoms occur if you lie on your right side.
Other symptoms of kidney, bladder or liver stones include:
- Impossible or difficult to urinate.
- Pain and pain in the urethra.
- Nausea and vomiting, accompanying aching, dull pain in the right hypochondrium.
- Yellowing of the skin and sclera of the eyes.
- Headaches, fever, weakness.
At present, unfortunately, drug therapy can only be carried out if the size of the stones is up to 1.5 cm. However, this treatment will be effective only in half of the cases. With a neglected form of the disease, surgical intervention is required, often surgery is the only effective method of therapy. And even after the successful dissolution of these stones with medication, the disease is prone to relapse.
Stomach and duodenal ulcer
If the stomach and right hypochondrium hurt, then this may indicate the development of an ulcer. Also, a similar symptom indicates a duodenal ulcer. The frequency, nature, strength and localization of pain in this disease will depend on many factors. Discomfort can occur not only after eating or physical activity, but also at night, on an empty stomach.
An ulcer of the duodenum and stomach is characterized by the following symptoms: belching, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, which can bring little relief to the patient, fever, tachycardia, indigestion, irritability, loss of strength. Therefore, if you feel sick and hurt in the right hypochondrium, then be sure to consult a doctor, as an ulcer is a very dangerous disease.
Sometimes the disease can be asymptomatic, which greatly complicates the diagnosis of specialists. In the case of an advanced form, bleeding occurs, peritonitis is considered a dangerous complication of the disease,which requires surgery.
You can avoid possible complications of the disease that require emergency care if you follow the recommendations of your doctor, adhere to the prescribed diet, regimen and dosage of medication.
Inflammation of the pancreas
The right hypochondrium constantly hurts - what can this indicate? Constant pulling, arching pains on the right under the ribs are often confused with a symptom of poisoning. However, sometimes it can indicate inflammation of the pancreas, which is medically called pancreatitis.
Besides the fact that it hurts a lot in the right hypochondrium, the patient has a swollen stomach, digestive disorders, intoxication of the body, increased fatigue, skin symptoms in the form of pallor, cyanosis or jaundice. In parallel with all this, the patient dramatically loses body weight, he develops chronic fatigue syndrome, vomiting and nausea, while vomiting does not bring any relief. Diseases associated with chronic pancreatitis: jaundice and diabetes mellitus.
The treatment regimen for pancreatic inflammation is based on the relief of symptoms during exacerbations of the disease, and the patient is prescribed supportive treatment, for which experts recommend following a diet, taking certain pharmacological drugs in order to prevent the active phase of pancreatitis. It will be very important to give up smoking and drinking alcohol. In addition, physiotherapy procedures are prescribed,as well as spa treatment.
Any method of treatment must be agreed with your doctor without fail, since pancreatitis can develop in several ways: pseudocyst or pancreatic cyst, alcoholic pancreatitis, purulent. The form of this disease can be chronic or acute.
Hepatitis
For what other reasons does the right side of the hypochondrium hurt? Often this happens in the case of an inflammatory process and necrosis, which are localized in the liver. This disease is called hepatitis. The disease is provoked by a variety of reasons: alcohol abuse, negative long-term effects of certain drugs on the liver, hereditary predisposition, complication of certain pathologies.
In case of hepatitis, the pain in the area of the right hypochondrium is pulling, it appears in parallel with itching, vomiting, nausea, intolerance to heavy fatty foods, intoxication, spasms, and other signs that are standard for many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract path.
One of the hallmarks of hepatitis is yellowing of the skin and sclera of the eyes, a violation of the condition of the liver, which may increase.
The treatment of hepatitis involves the complete elimination or reduction of inflammation in the liver, as well as the prevention of the development of complications in the form of cancer or cirrhosis. Improvements can be achieved by complex treatment, which involves the use of drugs, as well as measures that are aimed at overall strengthening of the immune system. Besides,the patient must streamline his lifestyle: eat right, adhere to a certain diet, engage in mild sports, give up bad habits.
Other reasons
There are also other diseases and pathologies that are accompanied by the appearance of pain in the right hypochondrium. These include the following:
- If there is pain in the right hypochondrium, this may indicate a disease of the digestive system: peptic ulcer, gastritis, various inflammatory processes, colitis, intestinal obstruction, peritonitis.
- Such a symptom may also indicate diseases of the nervous system: herpes zoster, intercostal neuralgia.
- As for the respiratory system, this symptom may appear in the following diseases: pneumonia, bronchitis in chronic and acute course.
- On the part of the urinary system, such diseases include: pyelonephritis, renal colic, stone formation.
- Soreness in the hypochondrium area may appear in case of liver disease: cirrhosis, hepatitis A, B, C, liver dystrophy, heart failure, which is accompanied by blood stasis in the liver.
- If it hurts on the right under the ribs in women, then this may indicate inflammation of the uterine appendages. In addition, a similar symptom often appears with osteochondrosis and inflammation of appendicitis.
When will pain be the norm?
Sometimes such discomfort, which is localized in the area of the lower ribs on the right, does not indicate developmentsome acute inflammatory process or the presence of a chronic form of the disease. In some cases, this is considered an absolute norm. At the same time, the person does not have pronounced concomitant symptoms, and the pain quickly disappears.
Sometimes stabbing sensations in the right hypochondrium occur after excessive physical exertion. There is discomfort after intense training, with improper warm-up or resumption of physical activity after a long break. Such unpleasant sensations are typical for beginners in absolutely any sport that involves active movement.
The nature of the occurrence of pain in this case will be as follows: physical activity stimulates the release of adrenaline, which reduces the tone of the bile ducts, provokes the filling of the liver with blood, as well as its stretching, which is why a beginner in sports begins to feel a stabbing pain in the right side, which often occurs when running.
In a he althy person, discomfort can also occur after eating too heavy or fatty foods, especially if it was eaten in large quantities. In addition to pain in the abdomen, overeating provokes tachycardia, drowsiness, and nausea. As a rule, such sensations pass after 1-3 hours.
Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that it is better not to ignore if the right hypochondrium hurts in a man or woman, as this may indicate the development of an inflammatory process or a serious illness.
