Dr. Amey Sonavane, MBBS, DNB (General Medicine), DNB (Gastroenterology), MRCP (SCE-Gastroenterology), Fellow in Clinical and Transplant Hepatology, is an consultant in the department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver transplantation at Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai.
Abdominal pain is discomfort anywhere in your belly — from ribs to pelvis. It’s often called ‘stomach’ pain or a ‘stomach’ ache, although the pain can be coming from any number of internal organs besides your stomach.
A brief episode of pain is called acute, which means 'of recent onset.' When you have abdominal pain for three months or longer, it’s considered a chronic or ongoing problem, although this time period is not exact. For example, acute appendicitis is nearly always an acute condition, in contrast to irritable bowel syndrome, which may result in chronic cramping that can span years or longer.
Abdominal pain comes in many forms, and may range from cramps that come and go to sudden, stabbing pains to constant, dull abdominal aching. Even mild pain can be an early sign of a serious condition, which is why healthcare providers often monitor these patients for changes in their conditions.
Keep in mind that abdominal pain is a subjective symptom that cannot be reliably measured by healthcare professionals. The intensity of the pain is what you say that it is.
When you have abdominal pain, you may have other symptoms such as fever, vomiting or diarrhea. Providers will question you carefully if your pain is localized or present throughout the abdomen. They will ask what makes the pain more intense and what seems to calm it down. Is the pain changed by eating or changing position? Does it awaken you from sleep? Does it migrate to another part of the body? Your answers can offer important diagnostic clues.
Just about everybody will experience abdominal pain at one point or another. Most causes of abdominal pain are not serious and resolve spontaneously. A healthcare provider can usually readily diagnose and treat these conditions. However, abdominal pain can also be a sign of a serious illness, or even an emergency. Abdominal pain is responsible for some 5% of emergency room visits.
There are numerous reasons for abdominal pain. It can come from any of the organs in your belly — gallbladder, pancreas, liver, stomach and intestines — or the abdominal wall – the outer shell of the body. Sometimes you feel the pain in your belly, but it’s actually coming from the chest, back or pelvis.
Abdominal wall pain is common and easy to miss as healthcare professionals may direct their attention to internal organs as a cause of the pain. Once the abdominal wall is considered as a suspect, it is generally easy to nail down this diagnosis. If a patient strains the ab wall muscles from exertion, he may tell his doctor that he has right sided stomach pain. Clearly, this pain is not caused by a diseased internal organ such as the gallbladder or the stomach.
Healthcare providers can often determine where pain is coming from by taking a detailed history from you. Depending upon the physician’s style, you may be simply asked to relate your medical story in your own words as a narrative. Other physicians may prefer to ask a series of detailed questions. Others may utilize both techniques. This medical history is paramount, even more important than the physical examination. After the history and physical, certain diagnostic tests may be advised to make an accurate diagnosis.
Because the abdomen is home to multiple organs, a wide range of problems might cause pain. The discomfort can also originate from nearby areas like the chest and pelvis. Causes of abdominal pain include:
Up to 15% of children between 5 and 16 years have ongoing or on-again, off-again abdominal pain. Oftentimes, when children get a tummy ache, it’s from constipation. Other common causes of abdominal pain in children include:
