Abdominal syndrome in medicine is commonly referred to as a set of symptoms, the main criterion for which is abdominal pain. It should be noted right away that it often does not have a direct connection with any surgical pathology, but is caused either by diseases of the organs located in the abdominal cavity, or problems with the patient's nervous system, the state of his lungs and heart. The inflammatory process in the peritoneum, caused by exposure to toxic substances, and its stretching by the diseased organ can also provoke the named pain.
Next, we will take a closer look at the symptoms, types and methods of treating the syndrome.
In what cases does abdominal syndrome develop
Abdominal pain syndrome has a rather complicated classification. Conventionally, it can be correlated with the diseases against which he andappears.
- It can be diseases of the digestive system - hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, pyloric stenosis of the duodenum, etc.
- These abdominal pains can also accompany pathologies of the chest organs - pneumonia, myocardial infarction, esophageal diverticulosis, etc.
- The manifestation of abdominal syndrome was also observed in infectious or viral diseases - syphilis, herpes zoster, etc.
In a special group of pathological conditions that form the development of the described pathology, it is necessary to include diseases caused by metabolic or immune system disorders - diabetes mellitus, rheumatism and porphyria.
How pain manifests itself under various factors
Abdominal pain syndrome is also distinguished depending on the type of pain. It is this symptom that often helps specialists to make the correct diagnosis and establish the cause of the disease. This is done with the help of a thorough examination of the patient, a biochemical blood test, ultrasound results, as well as x-rays of the chest and abdominal organs.
- Distinguish between spastic pains that arise and disappear suddenly, bearing the character of a pain attack. They often radiate to the back, under the shoulder blade, to the lower back or lower extremities and are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, forced positioning, etc. As a rule, they are provoked by inflammation in the abdominal cavity, poisoning or disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.
- If the syndrome is caused by stretching of hollow organs, then the pain becomes aching and pulling.
- And with structural changes ordamage to organs appear peritoneal pain. In medicine, they are considered the most dangerous and are united by the common name "acute abdomen". Such pain appears suddenly, it is diffuse, accompanied by general malaise and severe vomiting. When changing position, moving or coughing, it gets worse.
- Reflected pain occurs with pneumonia, heart attack, pleurisy, etc. During such attacks, pain caused by a disease of an organ outside the abdominal cavity is reflected in the stomach. It is usually accompanied by symptoms of the disease, against which the described syndrome develops - fever (if it is an infection), pain in the heart or joints (with coronary heart disease or rheumatism), etc.
- And psychogenic pains are not associated with a disease of the internal organs. They are neurotic and are most often caused by stress, shocks and the patient's depressive state.
I would like to emphasize that any pain in the abdomen should be the reason for going to the doctor, because the abdominal syndrome, as you have seen, can be a sign of a condition requiring urgent surgery and threatening the life of the patient.
Features of the manifestation of chronic abdominal pain
Abdominal pain syndrome can manifest itself as short-lived and rapidly developing attacks, or it can also be chronic.
In the latter case, the pain usually builds up gradually and recurs over several weeks or even months. And it should be said that the chronic form of the syndrome inis mainly formed depending on psychological factors, and not on the degree of damaging effects. That is, this pathology to some extent ceases to reflect the degree of the underlying disease and begins to develop according to its own laws.
Researchers believe that chronic abdominal syndrome is often provoked by a state of latent depression. Such patients, as a rule, complain of a combination of different localizations of pain - for example, they can have headaches, backs, stomachs, etc. at the same time. Therefore, they often characterize their condition as follows: “My whole body hurts.”
True, not all chronic abdominal pain is caused by mental disorders - they can also appear against the background of oncological diseases, joint diseases, coronary heart disease. But in this case, the syndrome has a clear limited localization.
Manifestations of abdominal syndrome that require urgent hospitalization
As mentioned earlier, acute abdominal syndrome in some cases may be a sign of serious dysfunction of some organs in the abdominal cavity or outside it. Therefore, in order not to expose yourself to possible danger when abdominal pain occurs, you should know in which cases it requires urgent medical attention.
- if severe weakness, dizziness and a state of apathy appear along with pain;
- multiple subcutaneous hematomas appear on the body;
- patient suffers from repeated vomiting;
- abdominal muscles tense;
- along with pain, tachycardia occurs and blood pressure drops;
- the patient is worried about a fever, the origin of which is unclear;
- the volume of the abdomen increases greatly, accompanied by severe pain;
- gas does not escape, and there are no perist altic noises;
- women have profuse discharge or bleeding.
Each of these signs (and even more so their combination) requires a mandatory consultation with a specialist, as it may be a manifestation of a life-threatening condition.
Abdominal pain syndrome in children
Children are a special risk group for the development of abdominal syndrome. This is due to the ability of the child's body to overreact to any damaging factors.
So, at an early age, the named syndrome may be provoked by excessive gas formation, causing intestinal colic in the baby. And occasionally, intussusception (a type of obstruction) of the intestine, requiring immediate hospitalization, or congenital anomalies of the abdominal organs can also act as a cause.
Abdominal syndrome in school-age children is most often a sign of chronic gastroduodenitis or pancreatic dysfunction. Often, the syndrome develops against the background of acute or chronic pathology of the kidneys or bladder. In adolescent girls, it can manifest itself during the formation of the menstrual cycle. By the way, in this case, the appearance of pain may be a sign of the presence of ovarian cysts.
Difficulties in diagnosing abdominal syndrome in children
Abdominal syndrome in children causes certain difficulties in diagnosing the pathology that caused the pain. This is due to the fact that the child most often is not able to accurately characterize his feelings, their localization, strength and the presence of irradiation.
By the way, pediatricians say that babies quite often describe any ailment and discomfort as pain in the abdomen. Doctors encounter this description even in cases where the child is clearly experiencing dizziness, pain in the ears, head, or nausea.
Ways to deal with abdominal syndrome in children, as well as in adults, directly depends on the underlying disease that caused it, so experts strongly recommend that parents do not make independent decisions and do not try to stop the baby's stomach pain without the help of a specialist with the help of antispasmodics or painkillers. The fact is that such actions can blur the picture of what is happening with the child, make even more difficult an already difficult diagnosis, and thereby cause serious consequences.
So, if your child complains of abdominal pain and other signs of abdominal syndrome, you should immediately consult a doctor. In this case, it is better to play it safe!
Manifestation of the syndrome in SARS
Often, pediatricians observe SARS with abdominal syndrome. In children italso associated with the peculiarity of the body's reaction to damaging factors.
In such cases, in addition to the usual symptoms of a viral infection - redness of the throat, runny nose, cough, weakness and fever - in a small patient, vomiting and abdominal pain may join. But these manifestations can turn out to be both a feature of the reaction of the child's body to an infection, and, for example, a sign of a chronic pathology of the abdominal organs aggravated against the background of SARS.
Therefore, the diagnosis of "SARS with abdominal syndrome" in medical circles is considered inaccurate and streamlined. He does not give a specific explanation of what is happening in the patient's body at the moment, and a patient with manifestations of signs of the mentioned syndrome requires a mandatory additional examination to exclude surgical causes of abdominal pain.
How is abdominal syndrome treated
Due to the fact that the described condition is not a separate disease, but only a complex of symptoms, it is necessary to deal with the abdominal syndrome by eliminating, first of all, the cause that caused the disease. The elimination of motor disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and the normalization of pain perception in the patient also play a significant role in this.
To eliminate the discomfort that appeared on the background of problems with the gastrointestinal tract, as a rule, myotropic antispasmodics are prescribed. The most popular among them is the drug "Drotaverin", which has a high selective effect and does not have a negative effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems. This remedy has not only an antispasmodic effect, but alsohelps to reduce blood viscosity, which allows it to be used not only for biliary dyskinesia, gastric or duodenal ulcer, but also for coronary bowel disease.
No less effective are drugs related to muscarinic receptor blockers (they create conditions for muscle relaxation and relieving spasms) or selective and non-selective anticholinergics ("Gastrocepin", "Platifillin", "Metacin", etc..).
What is abdominal ischemic syndrome
From the various abdominal pains described above in medicine, it is customary to distinguish the syndrome of abdominal chronic ischemia. It is an insufficiency of blood supply to various parts of the abdominal aorta that develops over a long period of time as a result of:
- severe cardiovascular disorders;
- arteritis;
- vasculitis;
- anomalies of development and squeezing of vessels;
- as well as the appearance of cicatricial stenosis after injuries and operations.
This condition is fraught with death (necrotization) of sections of vessels or organs that do not receive sufficient oxygen and do not remove decay products.
Interestingly, abdominal ischemic syndrome is most often found in men over 45 years of age. And it is manifested, as a rule, by a triad of signs - pressing, aching, often paroxysmal pain in the abdomen, intestinal dysfunction, as well as progressive weight loss.
How to deal with abdominalischemic syndrome
Pain usually appears about half an hour to an hour after eating and can last up to four hours. Sometimes it radiates to the back or to the left side of the chest and is accompanied by flatulence, belching, nausea, vomiting, regardless of the quality of the food taken.
It can be provoked not only by food, but also by physical exertion or brisk walking, and the pain is stopped at rest on its own, however, sometimes for this you need to additionally take nitroglycerin or (in case of its increased intensity) analgesics.
When diagnosed with "abdominal ischemic syndrome", treatment, as in other cases, is directed to the underlying disease. The patient is prescribed antispasmodics, drugs that improve the blood circulation process, anticoagulants, and in case of intestinal dysbacteriosis - drugs that improve its microflora.
Patients are usually recommended fractional meals in small portions with the exception of coarse and gas-forming foods. And in severe cases of the disease, they may be shown surgery to restore blood circulation in the abdominal branches of the aorta.
Compartment Syndrome
If the patient has increased intra-abdominal pressure as a result of complications caused by trauma or surgery, then this condition is diagnosed as abdominal compartment syndrome. It is quite dangerous and is also accompanied by pain in the abdomen of varying strength and localization, which depend both on the height of the patient's pain threshold and on his general condition.
By the way, there are no specific symptoms that indicate intra-abdominal hypertension, so a physical method of examining the abdomen or studying the general clinical picture of the disease is not enough to make the above diagnosis. The most accurate way to determine hypertension in this case, according to experts, is to measure the pressure in the bladder, which can serve as a starting point for the appointment of urgent adequate treatment.
As already mentioned, compartment syndrome is a dangerous condition. Without special treatment, it can lead not only to serious violations of the functions of the abdominal organs, but even to death. As a rule, the most effective way to combat the mentioned abdominal syndrome is surgical intervention - the so-called decompression, which reduces the level of intra-abdominal pressure and restores blood circulation in the abdominal region.
