Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain definition and facts

Abdominal (belly) pain to pain or discomfort that is felt in the part of the trunk below the ribs and above the pelvis.
It comes from organs within the abdomen or organs adjacent to the belly.
It is caused by inflammation, distention of an organ, or by loss of the blood supply to an organ.
In it may be caused by contraction of the intestinal muscles or hyper-sensitivity to normal intestinal activities.
Symptoms associated with it may include:

Belching

Gas (flatus, farting)

Indigestion

Discomfort in the upper left or right; middle; or lower left or right abdomen

Constipation

Diarrhea

GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease)

Heartburn

Chest discomfort

Pelvic discomfort

What is abdominal pain?

adbomminal pain  is felt in the abdomen. The abdomen is an anatomical area that is bounded by the lower margin of the ribs and diaphagm above, the pelvic bone (pubic ramus) below, and the flanks on each side. Although pain can arise from the tissues of the abdominal wall that surround the abdominal cavity (such as the skin and muscles), the term abdominal pain generally is used to describe discomfort originating from organs within the abdominal cavity. Organs of the abdomen include the stomach, small intestine, colon,liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas.

Occasionally, pain may be felt in the belly even though it is arising from organs that are close to, but not within, the abdominal cavity, for example, conditions of the lower lungus , the kidneys, and the uterus or ovaries. On the other hand, it also is possible for pain from organs within the belly to be felt outside of the it. For example, the pain of pancreatic inflammation may be felt in the back. These latter types of pain are described as "referred” because it does not originate in the location that it is felt. Rather, the cause is located away from where it is felt (i.e., it is referred to a different area).

What causes abdominal pain?

Abdominal pain is caused by inflammation of an organ (for example, appendicitis, diverticulitis, colitis), by stretching or distention of an organ (for example, obstruction of the intestine, blockage of a bile duct by gallstones, swelling of the liver with hepatitis), or by loss of the supply of blood to an organ (for example, ischemic colitis).

To complicate matters, however, abdominal pain also can occur without inflammation, distention or loss of blood supply. An important example of the latter is the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is not clear what causes the belly pain in IBS, but it is believed to be due either to abnormal contractions of the intestinal muscles (for example, spasm) or abnormally sensitive nerves within the intestines that give rise to painful sensations inappropriately (visceral hyper-sensitivity). This often is referred to as functional pain because no recognizable specific abnormality to account for the cause of the pain has been found - at least not yet.

Abdominal Pain Causes

abdominal pain  is pain  or discomfort that a person feels anywhere between the lower chest to the distal groin. Some health care professionals include the  diaphragm , pelvis (and genitals) and the retroperitoneal space. Chest and abdominal pain  are the two top reasons why people go to emergency rooms, according to the CDC.

Location of the Pain

The abdomen can be roughly subdivided several ways; all of these ways (terms) have appeared in the medical literature:
1.Upper abdomen (horizontal line about the level of the umbilicus), lower,
2.Right upper and lower,
3.Left upper and lower, and
4.Pelvis (right and left).

Type of Pain

The type of pain may also give some clues as to the cause of abdominal pain. Unfortunately, sometimes the pain is diffuse; this can complicate the diagnosis. However, there are some types of pain that can help narrow the diagnosis.

There are several types of pain:

sharp,
dull,
stabbing,
tearing,
cramps,
twisting,
pressure,

Possible Causes of Abdominal Pain

There are several causes of abdominal pain or discomfort. The following are lists of causes of abdominal pain (not all inclusive), grouped into the area of the abdomen were patients often say their pain is mainly localized.